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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 23 May 2017

U.S. to extend protections for Haitians 6 months

ALICIA A. CALDWELL Democrat whose district in-
Associated Press cludes Little Haiti in Miami,
WASHINGTON (AP) — The said Monday the decision
Trump administration said was a “blessing for the Hai-
Monday it will extend un- tian community.” She said
til January a humanitarian she is inviting Homeland Se-
program that has allowed curity officials to visit Haiti to
roughly 58,000 Haitians to view conditions.
live in the United States, but Marleine Bastien, executive
it is hinting that further ex- director of Haitian Women
tensions are unlikely. of Miami, said that claims
Temporary Protected Sta- by U.S. Citizenship and Im-
tus was given to Haitians migration Services officials
living in the United States that conditions have im-
after a 2010 earthquake proved in Haiti contradict
devastated parts of that findings made by the same
country. Haitians granted agency in December,
the protection can live and when Barack Obama was
work in the U.S. without fear still president.
of deportation. “They are trying to play with
Haitian participation in the words, claiming they are
program has been regu- Pierrot Mervilier, center rear, hugs a girl that did not wish to be identified, living in the U.S. with extending it for six months,”
larly renewed for 18-month Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after she and her family spoke to members of the media, Bastien said. If it’s only six
Monday, May 22, 2017, in Miami.
intervals and the latest ex- Associated Press months, it is clear that their
tension expires in July. The decision is to terminate it,
renewal announced Mon- matically, Homeland Se- Advocates for Haitians say war or natural disasters. A which would be a disaster,”
day is for only six months. curity Secretary John Kelly conditions have not im- decision to end the pro- she said.
Senior Homeland Security wanted more time to ex- proved enough for Haitians gram is supposed to be Adonia Simpson, an attor-
Department officials said amine the situation. to return home. Late last based on the conditions in ney at Miami-based Ameri-
that while no final deci- Kelly said in a statement year the Obama adminis- the home country. But in- cans for Immigrant Justice,
sion about further renew- that the decision was tration concluded that Hai- ternal government emails said TPS has never been
als, they said Haitian immi- based on a “careful review ti was not stable enough to obtained by The Associat- renewed for just six months.
grants should start getting of the current conditions send home Haitian immi- ed Press show that as part “We don’t know what this
their affairs in order, includ- in Haiti and conversations grants. of the decision-making means. We don’t know
ing acquiring travel docu- with the Haitian govern- There was no immediate progress, an official at U.S. if this means a termina-
ments. The officials briefed ment.” comment from the Haitian Citizenship and Immigra- tion notice in the coming
reporters on the condition “Haiti has made progress government. George Sass- tion Services had asked for months,” Simpson said. “I’m
of anonymity despite Presi- across several fronts since ine, a Haitian business lead- criminal statistics and other really surprised.”
dent Donald Trump’s in- the devastating earth- er who had lobbied U.S. information about the Hai- Omarosa Manigault, an as-
sistence that anonymous quake in 2010, and I’m officials to renew the pro- tian immigrants in the pro- sistant to the president and
sources shouldn’t be trust- proud of the role the United gram, said the six-month gram. director of communica-
ed. States has played during extension will give Haitian The Homeland Security De- tions for the Office of Public
They said while conditions this time in helping our Hai- authorities time to make partment denied that crim- Liaison, cast the decision as
in Haiti have improved dra- tian friends,” he said. their concerns more clear. inal information would be benefiting Haitians. Man-
“We’ll have to use this time a consideration in the de- igault, a Haitian-American,
to fight,” Sassine said. cision about Haiti and that said she and Trump dis-
Many Haitians nervously Kelly simply wanted more cussed the program after
anticipated the Trump ad- information about program she visited Haiti as part of
ministration’s decision giv- participants. a presidential delegation in
en the president’s tough The Haitian-American com- February.
stance on immigration, munity, lawmakers and the She said Trump “made a
both legal and illegal. Im- Haitian government have commitment to Haiti and
migration was a top cam- urged the Trump adminis- Haitians in the diaspora as
paign issue and one that’s tration to leave the protec- well that he was really go-
important to his political tions in place, saying the ing to work with them, and
base. country is still not ready to for them, and he made a
Temporary Protected Sta- take back immigrants who commitment. And this is
tus is given to citizens of have been living abroad. him making his promise.”q
countries devastated by Rep. Frederica Wilson, a