Refugee Council USA Stands in Solidarity with Haitian TPS Holders and Their Families
Refugee Council USA Stands in Solidarity with Haitian TPS Holders and Their Families
Dismayed by Administration’s Decision to Terminate Temporary Protective Status for Haitians
Washington, DC – Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) condemns the Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS), effective July 22, 2019, for more than 50,000 Haitians in the United States who are integral to our communities, our congregations, and our economy.
Haiti’s struggle to rebuild following the devastating 2010 earthquake persists, as subsequent hurricanes and other natural disasters disrupted Haiti’s recovery. Today, Haiti faces food and housing insecurity, public health crises with an ongoing cholera epidemic, and internal displacement of 40,000 people who remain in camps. While significant efforts are being made to improve infrastructure, Haiti is unable to safely and humanely re-absorb the return of over 50,000 Haitians, which will serve only to exacerbate Haiti’s instability.
Hans Van de Weerd, RCUSA Chair, speaking on behalf of the Council today in New York, stated, “Terminating Haiti’s TPS designation is an unprincipled, immoral decision and will result in returning Haitians to unsafe conditions. The Administration’s decision is also devastating to families and will tear parents from their children, as approximately 27,000 U.S. citizen children have parents with TPS. It is unconscionable and short-sighted to jeopardize the bright future these children have in the U.S. with their families.”
RCUSA urges the Administration to carefully reconsider the conditions in Haiti and reinstate TPS for Haitians. It also urges Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that provides a humanitarian solution for both current and former long-time TPS holders who remain in the US. This solution should include an orderly pathway to lawful permanent residence and eventually, to U.S. citizenship.
Contact: RCUSA Associate Director, Danielle Grigsby, dgrigsby@rcusa.org