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By
Richard Irwin
Editor, Immigrants' Rights Update
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) has introduced a
bill that would designate Haiti as a country whose nationals and former
residents living in the United States would be eligible for temporary
protected status (TPS). The bill provides that the “initial period of
. . . designation” for TPS would be 18 months.
The bill,
H.R. 522, cites a long, compelling list of reasons why Haiti should
be designated for TPS, including the lingering effects there of Tropical
Storm Jeanne and other severe storms, which in 2004 killed over 5,500
people, destroyed 4,000 homes and heavily damaged thousands more, and
left 250,000 people homeless. It also cites ongoing political turmoil
and violence, among whose main victims are children, with kidnappings an
increasingly common occurrence.
The bill notes that “there is a well-documented
history of discrimination against Haitian nationals in the United States
immigration process,” suggesting that when similar conditions to those
currently prevailing in Haiti have arisen in other countries, those
countries have been designated for TPS. Normally, the secretary of
Homeland Security is responsible for designating countries as ones whose
nationals or former residents living in the U.S. are eligible for TPS
because the countries are experiencing armed conflict, environmental
disaster, or certain other conditions that prevent people’s safe return
to them.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on
the Judiciary, where it faces an uphill battle.
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