Washington-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the Obama administration is reviewing a US policy of deporting undocumented Haitians and left open the possibility of expanding travel to Havana beyond the families of Cuban exiles in the United States.

Clinton made the remarks in an interview with The Miami Herald days ahead of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago and days after the White House revamped Cuba policy by lifting all travel and gift restrictions for Cuban Americans to the island. It is the most significant Cuba policy change in decades.

Clinton even offered a sharp reply to Fidel Castro’s criticism that the Obama administration moves were insufficient.

’We would like to see him release some political prisoners,’’ she said.

She travels to Port-au-Prince and the Dominican Republic today, then links up with President Barack Obama in Port of Spain to bring a message of engagement and collaboration.

Clinton made it clear that the United States would retain its policy of interdicting Haitians trying to reach Florida’s sun-drenched shores but said the administration was looking at its deportation practices involving Haitians, who help support their impoverished country with remittances.

’We are reviewing the policy and we know what a great source of income the remittances are that flow from ... principally the United States back to Haiti,’’ she said.

An estimated 30,000 Haitians are currently in the deportation pipeline, and immigration advocates argue it would be cruel to send them back to a storm-ravaged country struggling to recover from the impact of four back-to-back storms that left nearly US$1 billion in damage.

Clinton said the administration was sympathetic to ’what a tremendous burden it would be on Haiti if all of a sudden they were forced to accommodate the thousands of people who were otherwise working in our country.

’So we expect that we will be able to look closely at this and try to come up with some appropriate responses to the challenges posed.’’

Haitian advocates want the Obama administration to add Haiti to the list of nations whose citizens here receive Temporary Protected Status, TPS. That would permit undocumented Haitian migrants to stay and work in the United States temporarily.

Clinton noted that the White House announcement Monday to lift travel restrictions on Cuban Americans’ visits to their homeland was the first step in an ongoing policy review.

’We’re continuing to explore ways to further democracy in Cuba and provide the Cuban people with more opportunities but we haven’t made any further decisions yet,’’ she said.

Asked specifically whether it was not preferential treatment to permit only Cuban-American exiles to travel to Cuba, she replied: ’That’s part of our policy review. Our first goal was to reverse the Draconian rules imposed by the Bush administration, which took away privileges that had been available for a long time.

’And obviously we think Cuban Americans have a special role to play as serving as ambassadors of freedom and helping the Cuban people understand the opportunities that democracy would bring.’’

Clinton’s trip to Port-au-Prince today follows a donors conference held Tuesday in Washington, DC, in which nations and financial organisations pledged US$324 million.

Clinton stressed that the US pledge of US$57 million was focused on enhancing security in Haiti, investment in jobs creation and helping the Haitian diaspora contribute their talent to their homeland.

’The United States will be investing in jobs around infrastructure. The road system in Haiti needs both expansion and maintenance and we’re going to emphasise the use of our aid to those purposes,’’ she said.

Clinton told The Miami Herald the White House would not be going to Trinidad with a ’one-size-fits-all’’ programme to forge partnerships in energy, the economy and trade.

Nor would it seek to dictate solutions, she said.

’Part of what we’re going to do at the Summit of the Americas is actually listen, which has been in somewhat scarce supply over the last eight years,’’ she said.

’We are really looking to be a good partner and a reliable friend and neighbour.’