Advancing Justice | AAJC Commends the Biden Administration’s Decision to Redesignate Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC commends the Biden Administration’s decision to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for 18 months. TPS would allow over 100,000 Haitian nationals, including children, to live and work in the United States.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC issues the following statement:
“Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC stands with our brothers and sisters in the Haitian American and immigrant community in applauding the Biden Administration in granting TPS for Hatians. In doing so, more than 100,000 Hatian nationals will be protected from being returned to life-threatening situations in Haiti. By offering temporary status, our country recognizes our obligation to protect the humanity of our neighbors.
This victory is a result of the hard work and perseverance of many Black immigrant leaders and their communities. We recognize that this designation was long overdue as Haiti’s country conditions clearly merited TPS redesignation. Haiti is currently experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of violence in decades. There are reports of widespread kidnapping, extortion, and violence. Children are particularly vulnerable. Nearly 40% of the Haitian population is food insecure, including an estimated 167,000 children experiencing acute malnutrition. Children have limited access to schools, health services, and recreational activities exposing them to higher rates of abuse, exploitation, and violence.
COVID-19 has only exacerbated the desperate situation as the number of COVID-19 cases increase the strain on an already underfunded health infrastructure. We urge the Biden administration to address the inequities within our immigration system that disproportionately harm Haitians and other Black immigrants and communities of color. According to RAICES Texas, as the pandemic progressed in 2020 and some families were released from detention, more Haitian families were detained than any other nationality. Additionally, approximately 2,000 Haitians were already wrongfully forced to return to Haiti despite facing life-threatening circumstances there.
We call on the Biden Administration to do more to counter racial bias in the consideration of the TPS designation and throughout our immigration system.”