Explosive new documents obtained through a FOIA request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveal that the Trump Administration knew that deteriorating conditions within Haiti warranted an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) but terminated the program anyway.
The Administration claimed that conditions in Haiti were improving to the point where families could return, even though their own secret report said the opposite. As the USCIS’ October 2017 TPS Considerations for Haiti report cites, “Many of the conditions prompting the original January 2010 TPS designation persist, and the country remains vulnerable to external shocks and internal fragility. Haiti has also experienced various setbacks that have impeded its recovery, including a cholera epidemic and the impact of Hurricane Matthew—the latter of which struck Haiti in October 2016 and ‘severely worsened the pre-existing humanitarian situation’ in the country.”
First of all, a huge shout out to the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild for exposing this report. It’s now clear that the President and his officials blatantly lied to the American people about Haiti’s current conditions. Haiti is in no condition to accept the return of the nearly 60,000 Haitians with TPS. Haitian TPS holders should be allowed to remain in the U.S., and the program should be extended to new beneficiaries.
This report is further proof of the Administration’s ruthless pursuit of its ultimate goal: to kick out and keep out people of color – regardless of their connections to our shared country or of their desperate need. DHS Secretary Nielsen has a lot of explaining to do. Unfortunately, she seems so determined to kiss the ring of the Dear Leader in the White House, we won’t hold our breath.
Instead, Congress should step up and step in to make sure that common sense and common decency prevail.
Follow Frank Sharry and America’s Voice on Twitter: @FrankSharry and @AmericasVoice
America’s Voice – Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform
