Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Friday 19 January 2018

Haitians face hurdles after protected-status renewal delays

By PHILIP MARCELO ply choose to let them go,
ADRIANA LICON or hire someone else rath-
Associated Press er than wait for a process
BOSTON (AP) — Thousands that could take months,
of Haitian immigrants living says the Rev. Dieufort Fleu-
in the U.S. legally will face rissaint, chairman of Hai-
employment and travel tian Americans United, a
hurdles because President Boston-based community
Donald Trump’s adminis- group.
tration delayed the pro- “They’re putting a lot of
cess of re-registering those people in a very, very dif-
with temporary protected ficult situation,” he says of
status, Haitian community federal officials. “Employers
leaders and immigrant ac- are not going to take time
tivists say. to understand this. People
U.S. Citizenship and Immi- will be in limbo come Mon-
gration Services released day.”
details Thursday about the Haitians were granted tem-
next steps for the 60,000 porary protected status
Haitians with the special to live and work in the U.S.
status, an agency spokes- after a devastating earth-
woman told The Associ- quake struck their Caribbe-
ated Press. an homeland in 2010. The
But the information comes status has been renewed Rick Sanchez, of Miami, center, pauses for a moment of silence during a rally in support of
too late to help the thou- a number of times over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs
sands of Haitians who hold past seven years, to the Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in Miami.
immigration documents chagrin of critics who say (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
that show their legal and the humanitarian measure received more lead time to But Thursday’s announce- Thursday notice as proof
work status expiring Mon- was never meant to al- re-register; the administra- ment automatically ex- their work status is still valid
day, said immigrants and low immigrants to establish tion issued renewal guide- tends the work permits for until their new employment
advocates, some of whom roots in the U.S. lines for Nicaraguans and Haitians on temporary pro- documents arrive, she says.
wondered — in light of the The Trump administration Hondurans in mid-Decem- tected status through July, Nevertheless, the bureau-
president’s recent remarks announced in November ber, before their status ex- says U.S. Citizenship and Im- cratic slowdown “rein-
about Haiti — if the bu- that Haitians living under pired in January. migration Services spokes- forces the message” that
reaucratic slowdown was the temporary status would U.S. Citizenship and Im- woman Sharon Scheidhau- Haitians aren’t welcome in
deliberate. have until July 2019 to get migration Services says er. It acknowledges “not all America, says Geralde Ga-
“They told me that if I don’t their affairs in order and re- it wasn’t able to release re-registrants will receive” beau, a Haitian immigrant
bring the work papers, they turn home. details about the re-regis- the work authorization who heads the Immigrant
will send me home be- The problem is that officials tration process for Haitians cards before the current Family Services Institute,
cause it is the law. didn’t tell people with that sooner because officials ones expire on Monday. a Boston-based nonprofit
You have to have work status how to go about re- had to work out the work And Haitian workers will that provides academ-
papers. I am under pres- newing it. Other groups eli- authorization language, be able to simply show ic support to immigrant
sure,” said Edelyne Jean, gible for similar status have among other things. employers the agency’s youths. q
a 35-year-old nursing as-
sistant in Coral Springs,
Florida, who supports four Teen boy dies trying to save paralyzed dad from fire
younger siblings still in Hai-
ti. “They say that if I don’t MARIETTA, Okla. (AP) — Au- Grisham says the father been to blame. Grisham Shepard says the fire likely
bring anything new by Jan. thorities in southern Oklaho- also died in the Wednes- says the boy was trying to originated in the home’s liv-
22 or the 23rd at the most, I ma say a 13-year-old boy day morning blaze. Au- help his 60-year-old father ing room.
am jobless.” died while trying to help his thorities tell The Daily Ard- escape from the blaze but Love County lies next to the
Haitian workers like Jean paralyzed father escape moreite that the fire was that they both succumbed Texas state line, about 120
will be left at the mercy of from a mobile home fire. ruled accidental and that to smoke inhalation. miles (190 kilometers) south
employers, who could sim- Love County Sheriff Marty space heaters may have Fire investigator Judah of Oklahoma City.q