Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. Photo Credit: Brooklyn College
New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, whose constituency includes many Haitian Americans and displaced Haitians called the mere six-months extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals residing in the United States shows “ignorance” by the Trump administration.
The new expiration date is January 18, 2018. “Since we have extremely low expectations with this Administration, in that light, a six month extension is better than nothing. It does however put their ignorance on full display, to believe that Haiti will be significantly better in six months,” Williams said. “This also shows a continued lack of consideration on viewing immigrants humanely and forcing them to live under a continued cloud. Haiti would have been in no position to receive such an influx of people, and truth be told, the mass exodus of thousands of Haitian nationals would have severely impacted our economy.”
Williams added: “While we have won this battle for now, we must continue to work together and strategize on how to help Haiti rebuild itself following a series of natural disasters, and focus on how we can create a path to permanent residency for the thousands of Haitians, who now call the U.S. home. I stand committed and ready to advocate for and with the Haitian community for the months and years to come.”
