The Biden administration announced Friday it is granting special immigration benefits to Haitians that allows hundreds of thousands to remain in the country until early 2026.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in a statement from Washington, said “Temporary Protected Status” for Haitians already in the United States would be extended 18 months, from Aug. 4, 2024, to Feb. 3, 2026. And extended to up to 309,000 Haitians who were in the country on or before June 3.
TPS is a 1990 law that allows undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. to legally stay in 18-month increments if the Homeland Security secretary determines that natural disasters or civil strife prevent them from safely returning home.
In his statement, Mayorkas said he made the decision to extend TPS “due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Haiti.”
“Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water,” said Mayorkas. “Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and mudslides, and often experiences significant damage due to storms, flooding, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges have resulted in ongoing urgent humanitarian needs.”
Under the latest TPS decision, an estimated 309,000 more Haitians can apply if they were in the U.S. on or before June 3, 2024. Those not meeting the deadline date face deportation.
The decision also allows current Haitians with TPS to live and work in the U.S. through Feb. 3, 2026. However, those Haitians with TPS must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period from July 1, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2024, according to DHS. About 200,000 Haitians already have TPS.
Action long overdue, say S. Fla. lawmakers, immigrant advocates
South Florida members of Congress applauded the administration decision.
U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Miami, said the decision “is long overdue and much-needed relief for Haitian families in the United States. She and other lawmakers have for years pushed for a TPS extension.
“Sending folks back to Haiti right now is a kiss of death,” said Wilson in a statement. “We cannot simply just send Haitian families to walk the plank in a country riddled with gang violence, hunger, and an unstable government.”
“As Haiti reels from gang violence and instability, I’m grateful and relieved that President Biden and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took deliberate action to protect Florida’s and our nation’s vibrant Haitian community from further danger and heartbreak,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said in a statement.
“I look forward to continuing my work to fully fund security and humanitarian programs to stabilize Haiti and the region, secure comprehensive immigration reform to provide a pathway to legal status for Dreamers and long-term Haitian residents and end the scourge of American guns fueling civilian deaths and gender-based violence in Haiti,” she said.
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Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement, called the administration’s action “a step in the right direction.” FAMN has been a longtime advocate for Miami’s Haitian community.
“For months and years we have been organizing for a permanent solution,” she said. “Today's decision to redesignate and extend TPS for Haiti is a clear indication and an understanding of what we have been telling the Biden Administration for months now, that the conditions in Haiti are not adequate to welcome thousands and thousands of refugees.”
FAMN staffers say that close to 30,000 Haitians, including hundreds of children, have been deported on 34 flights to Haiti since the beginning of February 2022.
FAMN is holding a press conference Friday afternoon in Miami to further discuss the impact of the TPS extension for Haitians.
To learn more about the Haitian TPS application process, read the DHS press release here.
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