CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine, both Haitian-Americans, today urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and protect U.S. residents from being forced to return to dangerous, potentially life-threatening conditions.
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“As the proud son of Haitian immigrants, one of whom was a community doctor, I can attest to the importance of the contributions Haitian immigrants make to our communities,” said Raoul. “Conditions in Haiti have deteriorated due to governmental instability, public health concerns and violence. I am proud to join my friend and colleague Karl Racine to urge the Department of Homeland Security to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. Haitian immigrants have risked their lives to escape those dangers, and I will continue to advocate on their behalf so they are not forced to return to life-threatening conditions.”
Federal law provides for TPS, which offers temporary lawful status to foreign nationals in the United States from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions that temporarily prevent their safe return.
“I am proud to join my fellow Haitian-American friend and colleague Attorney General Raoul in urging the Biden Administration to do the right thing now: extend TPS to Haitians that arrived in this country after August 2021,” said Racine. “Like my parents, Haitians who have immigrated to the United States have massively contributed to their communities and our country.”
On Aug. 3, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Haiti for TPS. That designation, which was extended through June 2024, protects certain Haitian migrants from removal and authorizes work permits while in the United States. However, migrants who arrived in the United States after August 2021 are ineligible for TPS.
In the letter, Raoul and Racine urge DHS to make that group eligible, particularly as socioeconomic and political conditions continue to worsen within Haiti, making it unsafe for Haitian migrants to return.
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