Amid the erupting violence in Haiti, U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost is calling on local Haitian community leaders and members to join him in creating ways to help those in need.
On Tuesday evening, the U.S. congressman sat down with Central Florida, Haitian leaders during a roundtable discussion.
Among the ideas on how best to help Haitians seeking refuge, Frost told attendees his plans to call on President Joe Biden to extend the temporary protected status program that allows migrants who are unable to return home a path to citizenship here in the U.S.
“It's a matter of life or Death for 1000s of Haitians who rely on this designation for protection and stability,” Frost said. “My office will continue to encourage and have discussions with the administration and USCIS to prioritize TPS cases for Haiti.”
Orange County resident Margery Fils-Aime was one of the participants at the roundtable discussion hoping to hear ideas. Fils-Aime said she is very concerned for the family she still has in Haiti.
“People are not in the open markets anymore, being able to sell as they were before. And at any point in time, the houses can be broken into and they would have to go elsewhere, where they may not be able to feed themselves or find security,” Fils-Aime said. “Certainly this is a daily worry. They're always concerned about their safety and just being fed every day.”
Frost also addressed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ previous actions against those seeking political asylum. Last week, DeSantis deployed 250 law enforcement officials to the Florida Keys to intercept Haitian boats.
“We can't sit here while people like Ron DeSantis criminalize Haitians, who are mercifully arriving at our borders, and seeking asylum, which is a human right in the United States of America,” Frost said. “Folks here in central Florida want to do everything they can to help ensure Haiti has the autonomy, independence, opportunity, and safety it deserves. And it's up to us as a central Florida community, which by the way, is a community of immigrants.”
Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order allowing rescue flights from Haiti to Sanford Orlando International Airport, which started last week and will continue over the next few weeks.
“We are willing to dedicate the resources,” said DeSantis. “We understand that this is important, we understand that there’s people that are really in danger right now that are our fellow Floridians.”
Frost says he and his office will continue to meet with Haitian community members and brainstorm ways to help those seeking political asylum.
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