Haiti Legislative Priority Part 2: Immigration Reform

The U.S. Congress has an historic opportunity to chart a new course in our relations with Haiti, one that respects Haitian sovereignty, promotes sustainable economic development, and advances the U.S.’ long term interest in stability in the region.

This is Part 2 of a 4 part series of discussion papers on legislative priorities, covering immigration reform. Please help us develop our positions, by letting us know what you think, at any level: global strategy, details, priorities, tactics, etc.

Advocates for fair Haitian immigration have identified two priorities for the new Congress: a) granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which would temporarily suspend deportations of unlawful immigrants to Haiti and grant them work permits and permission to travel, and b) making improvements to HRIFA (the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998), to correct technical flaws in HRIFA that excluded a few thousand deserving HRIFA applicants from becoming U.S. citizens. 

a) Temporary Protective Status

TPS is granted by the Executive Branch, in order to provide relief to countries suffering natural disasters or political violence. The status suspends deportations from the U.S. of people who have overstayed their visas or entered illegally, for renewable 18 month periods. TPS provides important relief to the visitors, their families and their governments, at very little cost to the U.S. Allowing the visitors to stay allows them to keep working to support themselves, and to send money back to their vulnerable families. This in turn reduces pressure on scarce jobs and government services in the affected country.

Nicaragua and Honduras received TPS in January 1999, following Hurricane Mitch, and Salvadorans received it after earthquakes in 2001. The status has been renewed for all three countries several times, and is still in effect (but only for visitors in the U.S. on the date of the original grant, not for subsequent arrivals). The presidents of all three countries have reported that TPS was critical to their recovery by keeping the remittances that immigrants send back home flowing.

Haiti is more than qualified for TPS: it is by any measure the poorest country in the Americas, and the most vulnerable to environmental disasters. Tropical Storm Jeanne, among other major recent flooding incidents, killed over 2,000 people in 2004; at least 4,000 Haitians died in political violence between February 2004 and December 2005. Nonetheless, Haitians have never received TPS.

TPS is a win-win-win-win proposal: it would help Haitian visitors to the U.S., their family members back home (Haitians in the U.S. send about $1 billion back home each year, dwarfing foreign aid), and the Haitian government. But it would also help the U.S.: by keeping remittances flowing to support needy relatives in Haiti we would discourage illegal emigration and make it easier to protect U.S. borders. Deportation of Haitians working in the U.S., on the other hand, decreases remittances and increases the pressure in Haiti for emigration to the U.S.
TPS is particularly appropriate now that Haiti has a new democratic president and legislature. Progress towards recovery is more likely now, so that the word “Temporary” in TPS would have some meaning.

In 2005, Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida introduced a  resolution calling on the Bush Administration to grant TPS for Haitians. The resolution did not get out of committee before the end of the legislative session, but Rep. Hastings is revising the bill and intends to introduce the new version during the month of January 2007. When the bill is introduced, we will need to contact our Representatives to urge them to co-sponsor, and ultimately vote for it.

For more information, see:

TPS Status for Haiti 2005 Fact Sheet Refugee Council USA
TPS Overview from Haiti Innovation

Is racism behind treatment of Haitians?, Haiti Reborn

Jennifer Santiago of CBS-4 TV in Miami did an excellent series exploring the legal and human dimensions of TPS, on December 8, 2005, May 6, 2006 and January 19, 2006.

 

    b) HRIFA Improvements

The HRIFA Improvements would make corrections to the original HRIFA, which was enacted in 1998 to correct rules that had the effect of making immigration harder for Haitians than for immigrants from other countries in the region.  The Improvements would include otherwise-eligible applicants denied HRIFA coverage because, although they were paroled into the United States before 1996 or filed for political asylum before that date, they had fled Haiti by air with phony documents to avoid immediate U.S. Coast Guard interdiction and repatriation into the hands of Haiti’s military.  They would grant permanent resident status to children of successful HRIFA applicants who have “aged out” of derivative eligibility – that is, they are no longer under the age of 21 – because of unconscionable, years-long government delays in processing their parent’s (eventually successful) HRIFA application.

These HRIFA improvements will most likely be part of a larger comprehensive immigration reform bill. They were part of the bill the Senate passed last year, which was criticized by many organizations that work on immigration issues and failed in the House of Representatives due to far-right opposition.

Advocates working with Congress say there is a good chance that the new Congress will pass a much better version of immigration reform this year, and are confident that HRIFA Improvements will be a part of that package. For now, they do not advise any grassroots initiatives on this issue, but they will keep us posted.

Thanks to Steve Forester, Senior Policy Advocate, Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami/Haitian Women of Miami, Inc., for help with the Immigration section.

Comments

[tousin]

C'est dommage je ne suis pas prédident d'haiti je mettrais en prison tous les haitiens qui vont en guadeloupe,st domingue,martinique ect...Les sales boulots qu'ils font à l'étranger ils ne le feront pas dans leur propre pays.Que mes compatriotes soient maudits, c'est la honte pour un grand peuple intelligent et qui à des représentants haut placés partout dans le monde. Ils ne font pas l'honneur de notre haitienne Michaelle Jean qui est la représentante de la reine d'angleterre au canada;des magistrats haitiens aux etats unis,nos artistes: wiclef jean,usher,antonny kavannagt ,will smith ect.....A cause de vous nos stars ne veulent pas dire qu'ils sont haitien.......Nous sommes un peuple sublime et nous avons une histoire la plus glorieuse au monde.......Et nos talents sont incomparable dans tous les points de vue.Partout on passe on s'imposse alors pourquoi laissons nous humilier par d'autres peuples qui ne sont pas plus que nous.Nous avons participer a rendre libre les peuples américains, venezuela ect...Nous sommes une grande nation en battant les troupes napoleonniene.
Haitien regardez vous dans une glace......Votre pays est un paradis vous pouvez le construire sans l'aide de l'état si vous voulez car ce pays a beaucoup de richesses...Vous aimez plutot vivre à l'étranger voir autres choses, certains d'entre nous préfèrent baiser des culs d'autre couleur, certains aiment se raconter "oh oui j'ai voyager" Folie voyage,folie bel fanm blanche et d'autre ils ont débroisé le pays et maintenant il reste plus d'arbres fruitiers ils sont obligés de prendre l'humiliation.Si yo di "haitien chen" nou pa répon'n sé san wonte nou san wonte
La majorité des haitiens possèdent des terrains en province. Des terres ou les arbres se poussent tous seul.A l'époque de l'embargo je suis allé en province dans le sud et j'ai mangé des dizaines de fruits de toutes sorte et ma mère n'avait pas un centime.En province on été comme dans un paradis. voila ce que je mangeais la journée : 20 oranges douce, 3 corrosols, deux abricots qui ont la taille d'un ballon de foot, un ananas, 5 sapotilles,3 caimites, deux jus deux noix de coco, du thé avec du pain créol,a midi, du riz ou du petit mil, avec des petits pois, de la viande de poulet fermier, ou de la viande encore des oiseaux qu'on a chassé librement. Des mangue de toute sorte, des avocats de toute sorte on ne trouves pas ses fruits dans les autres antilles je les ai jamais vu en france ( des patates ,du lame veritable, l'yhiame, cassav, labapin ect)......le soir en prend du cacao avec du pain du mais boucannés.
Ses connards haitiens n'aiment pas qu'on leur traite d'habitant il préfère faire l'habitant sans terre a st domingue,guadeloupe ect.... Dieu aiment les travailleurs....vous n'aimez pas la nature bientot ce sont les autres peuple qui vont vous mettre dehors pour prendre ce paradis...Je suis haitien et j'ai honte........donwill509@hotmail.fr votre réaction please