immigration - Haiti Observer Blog

On Wednesday night, October 3, 2018, U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen granted a preliminary injunction to block the Department of Homeland Security's plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 long-term residents living in the US from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.

During a bipartisan meeting on immigration on January 11, 2018, President Donald Trump criticized protections the US gives to immigrants from various underdeveloped countries. In his comment Trump mentioned, "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" As per records, TPS recipients by country as of October 2017 are as follows (rounded): El Salvador 262,500, Honduras 86,600, Haiti 58,600, Nepal 14,800, Syria 6,900, Nicaragua 5,300, and Yemen 1,100.

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President Donald Trump wants to challange a 150 yera old constitutional standard that states anyone born in the United states is a United State citizen

Trump claims that he can end birthright citizenship with an executive order. He wants to sign an executive order that removes the rights to citizenship for babies of non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants born on US soil.

The 14th Amandment states: " all persons born or naturalized in the United states and jubject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside"

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The Magic City Innovation District is revitalizing the Little Haiti and Little River neighborhoods to create a world-class destination. It is a billion-dollar real estate project in Little Haiti-- a sprawl of residential, commercial, office, research and entertainment spaces spread out over 17 acres. The project will raise rents and property values, displace many of the Haitian diasporas-- squeeze Little Haiti's poor and working class and provide high tech jobs that require skills which locals simply don't have.

Little Haiti was once known as Lemon City. For the past three decades, it has transformed into a cultural hub for all things Haitian and also something more than a mere destination for the Haitian diasporas. It became the cultural center of the Haitians in Florida and a center of influence of Haitian Francophone culture.

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The Chilean Government recognizes the importance of Haitian workers to their economy. They are encouraging more immigration of Haitian citizens with the establishment of a family reunification program that has been in place since July 2, 2018.

How does it works?

The application process begins in Chile where the Haitian citizen living and working there must write a certified letter requesting family reunification. Then, the applicant in Chile needs to contact the office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM in Haiti) to follow up.

Here is how to contact IOM in Haiti:
- Phones : 2947-7746/ 2991-0362 /2997-7566
- Email : haiticavc@iom.int

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US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that work permit for Haitians on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended. There are over 4,650 Haitians who will benefit from this decision as their applications were still pending as of July 20, 2018. This was made public by Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.

In last year November, 2017, U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ended the work permit for 4,650 Haitians on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) but extended whose applications were still pending as of July 20, 2018, report dated. The announcement came from the Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.

Temporary protected status (also called "TPS") is given to eligible nationals of designated countries who are present in the United States. The status, accorded to nationals from some countries affected by armed conflict or natural disaster, allows persons to live and work in the United States for limited times. In November 2017, while withdrawing the TPS, the Trump administration informed 59,000 Haitians, living legally in the United States, of self-deportation. But it gave them time until July 22, 2019, to do it. To enter the TPS program, nationals of a designated country must not have any criminal record, pass a background check and pay a processing fee $495.

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Here is a result of the new immigration policy being implemented by the Trump administration. What this video is showing is an audio recording that appears to capture the voices of small children. The Spanish-speaking children are crying out for their parents at a U.S. immigration facility. This audio that was first published by ProPublica is truly disturbing. The image of the child showing that she wants her parent and crying as they are taken away.

The photographer stated that the child was traveling with her mother for a month after leaving Honduras for security concerns.

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The recent order by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to follow policy changes and separate thousands of children from their parents at the nation's southern border has made news. Recently, an audio recording capturing the voices of children crying for their parents after being separated at the border.

During his career that lasted more than 30 years; first as a federal prosecutor and state attorney general, and second as a Senator, Jeff Sessions has been a major anti-immigrant force. Mr. Sessions came to believe that immigrants, whether legal or illegal, posed a direct threat to the US by depressing wages, committing crimes and taking advantages of welfare benefits.

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OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES - A MATTER OF GRATITUDE AND RESPECT

Boca Raton, Florida
January 2018
President Donald Trump
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Mr. President, several years ago, I wrote an open letter to President Ronald Reagan on behalf of Haitian expatriates fleeing the murderous Duvalier regime who were seeking refuge in our country but were being deported. A similar situation is occurring today with the presence here under temporary protection status granted by President Obama of some of the victims of the terrible earthquake that killed 300,000, wounded thousands, left more than a million homeless and destroyed the infrastructures of many areas. After that disaster and the non-delivery of most of the international help that was offered, Haiti is far from recovering. To add insult to pain and suffering, you have reportedly qualified Haitians and their nation with a vulgar, blatantly mean expletive. Should you and your Government decide to deport them, Mr. President, they and their nation at least deserve respect and an apology. Many have been the arguments invoked in favor of allowing those few people to remain here - compassion, justice, human rights, protection of lives, family unification, etc. Unfortunately, all that is being defeated in the name of "law and order" and "defense of our borders". I am taking the initiative to write to you, Mr. President, not just as a request for compassion or justice, but also in defense of the honor of my native Haiti, a glorious country whose epopee is the most heroic in History, a nation to whom the whole world and the United-States in particular owe a debt of gratitude.

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STATEMENT FROM BITTA MOSTOFI, ACTING COMMISSIONER OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS, ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECISION ON TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR SYRIA

"New Yorkers welcome the Trump Administration's decision to provide a common sense extension of Temporary Protected Status for nearly 7,000 Syrians living in the United States today. But Secretary Nielsen's decision to bar an estimated 2,000 Syrians who arrived in the U.S. after August 2016 from applying for this protection blatantly disregards the legal standards for the program.

The Administration is talking out of both sides of its mouth and putting people in danger as a result. By recognizing that Syria is not able to safely absorb current TPS recipients, there is no justification for refusing their fellow nationals currently in the United States the same humanitarian relief. Syria is still an active war zone and the threat of harm and violence is vivid. The City will do our utmost to support all New Yorkers who are suffering as a result of the White House's misguided immigration policies, including by connecting people with free legal help. The Trump Administration's failure to recognize that all Syrians unable to return due to crisis conditions there are worthy of protection is simply unconscionable."

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In 1791, when slaves in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) started their revolt that ultimately lead to their independence, many whites and free Blacks left the island. Many adopted Cuba as their new home; however, many more went on to settle in New Orleans. By 1809, the number of Haitians who landed in New Orleans was estimated at 10,000.

The new immigrants, including some 3,100 free persons of color, reshaped the society. Over concerns by the American government that these new free persons of color would spread a revolution

The immigrants from saint Domingue were specially helpful after the great fire of 1794 in the City of New Orleans, for their contribution in rebuilding.

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