Haitians living in the U.S. are at stake. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will decide by May 3 whether or not they intend to renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, which would allow our Haitian sisters and brothers to continue living and working here. TPS protections are given for extreme circumstances such as natural disasters; for Haitians, these protections expire in July 2017. This DHS decision also will set an important precedent, as TPS protections for Salvadoran and Hondurans expire in 2018.
Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti in October 2016. Tens of thousands of homes and schools were destroyed as well as agricultural crops and livestock, which resulted in widespread food insecurity and deepened the cholera epidemic, already the worst in the world. These realities exacerbated economic instability in Haiti, which had not fully recovered from the massive earthquake in 2010.
Please call on DHS Secretary John Kelly and the White House to live up to our American values by treating Haitians the way we would like to be treated if we were in their place.
TAKE ACTION TODAY:
Call DHS Secretary Kelly & the White House to Extend TPS Protections for Haiti
DHS Comment Line: (202) 282-8495 (please leave a message)
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111 (please leave a message)
While calls are most important at this time, you can also send an email to DHS through the U.S. Conference of Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign
Haitians have made important contributions to the community, and while they are currently allowed to work here, and contribute taxes, they are not eligible for any benefits. This is important to make clear.
