Temporary Protected Status Revoked For Haiti and Nicaragua
“Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke announced her decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti with a delayed effective date of 18 months to allow for an orderly transition before the designation terminates on July 22, 2019. This decision follows then-Secretary Kelly’s announcement in May 2017 that Haiti had made considerable progress, and that the country’s designation will likely not be extended past six months” Department of Homeland Security announced in a press release yesterday.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) which allows people from certain countries suffering from armed conflicts, natural disasters, or epidemics to live and work lawfully in the United States. Currently, that applies to nationals from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Every 18-months or so the federal government re-assesses whether country conditions have improved, and thus whether to extend or terminate TPS.
On November 6, Duke announced the decision to terminate TPS designation for Nicaragua effective on January 5, 2019. TPS designation for Honduras was automatically extended for six months from the current January 5, 2018 date of expiration, to the new expiration date of July 5, 2018.
The New York Times reports that about 350,000 people benefit from the TPS program, and that “Those with temporary protection constitute about half of the estimated 110,000 Haitians living in the United States without permanent permission” and that Haitians with TPS are parents to nearly 30,000 US-born children.
Local politicians are outraged, all the way up to Congresswoman Clarke:
“We are outraged by the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 50,000 Haitians who will now be forced to return home. The earthquake in 2010 killed more than 300,000 people, disrupted the function of civil society in Haiti, displacing families from their homes, closing schools and social service agencies, creating instability in government, and undermining the economy. These conditions were exacerbated by the cholera epidemic, subsequent hurricanes, and food insecurity crisis, which continues to this day.” Said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D, NY9) in a statement released yesterday afternoon. Department of Homeland Security argues that “those extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake no longer exist”.
Clarke says that rebuilding in Haiti is supported by remittances from the Haitian community in the US, and that “these remittances are critical to the recovery, and have provided for basic needs, including education, agricultural restoration, business development, and home reconstruction.” According to the World Bank, $2.3 billion was received by Haiti in 2016, and personal remittances accounted for 29% of the country’s GDP though not all were from those residing in the US.
To have a sense of what remittances look like, take a look at this very visual story about ships leaving Red Hook in Brooklyn for Haiti called The Double Stuffed Boat.
Hasan Shafiqullah, Attorney-In-Charge of the Immigration Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society says that once the TPS re-registration period is announced in the coming days, affected Haitians will be able to contact The Legal Aid Society at (844) 955-3425 or tps@legal-aid.org to schedule a renewal appointment, “at which we will also screen applicants for other, hopefully, more permanent forms of immigration relief.”
“Brooklyn families from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua, among others, should not have to worry about being ripped apart due to draconian immigration measures such as the proposed termination of Temporary Protected Status,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a statement echoed by other local representatives.
“Our immigrant communities deserve the chance to live, study, and work in the United States without constant fear of deportation,” said Assembly Member Felix W. Ortiz, Assistant Speaker. “Temporary Protection Status is critical. Unless TPS is extended, people face possible detention and deportation to countries they may not know or remember. An Assembly resolution I am sponsoring asks Congress to take action now to protect the vulnerable.”
“The unfortunate treatment of those that hold Temporary Protected Status in this country under this Administration is dishonorable and disgraceful,” said Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, a daughter of Haitian immigrants. “For anyone that has been to Haiti in recent months, it is clear that the Administration’s decision does not coincide with the dangerous reality on the ground. The return of tens of thousands of people is only going to make conditions worse. Furthermore, it would be equally dangerous for the other hundreds of thousands of Central Americans who don’t know any life other than their life in the US. In addition, for both Haitians and Central Americans, their economic contributions to both the US and their home countries will now be lost. The fight must continue to address these inhumane and unconstitutional decisions.”
“We are at a critical juncture in the fight to get Temporary Protected Status extended for our immigrant communities,” said Haitian Council Member Mathieu Eugene.
“With Donald Trump and his administration’s, along with his supporters’, bigoted and relentless assault on immigrants around the country, it is more important than ever to protect those people in our communities who are most vulnerable to these attacks,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. “Temporary Protected Status is a program that needs to be defended, and we must fight for it. With immigrants under TPS contributing so much to our communities, it is not only a matter of conscience but of common sense.”