On November 20, the Trump administration cancelled Temporary Protected Status for approximately 50,000 Haitians, effective July 22, 2019. FCNL denounces this decision, particularly given the ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, 2016 Hurricane Matthew, and a major cholera epidemic.
The forced migration of more than 50,000 Haitians and, potentially, their families – many of whom are U.S. citizens – will overwhelm a still fragile nation. Furthermore, ending TPS will hurt the already fragile Haitian economy, putting ongoing recovery efforts in jeopardy. Haitian TPS holders currently send money back to that country equaling nearly one third of the nation’s GDP. FCNL urges the administration to reconsider the cancellation of Haiti TPS, given the ongoing extraordinary circumstances that make safe and stable return for current TPS holders and their families untenable.
“Yet again, the administration has set immigrants up with impossible choices about their futures and their families’ futures,” says Hannah Graf Evans, FCNL’s legislative representative on immigration. “As an organization driven by Quaker values, FCNL seeks a world with equity and justice for all. We believe that all people deserve access to meaningful opportunities, safety from harm, and the ability to fulfil their potential. We advocate for policies that realize that vision. Ending Haiti TPS is a cavalier policy decision for the livelihoods and safety of tens of thousands of our Haitian neighbors. The administration’s decision to gut this protection program weakens the potential and opportunities for immigrants to thrive in our nation.
“This is the third cancellation of TPS since the beginning of the Trump administration. Paired with cancelling the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals, slashing the refugee resettlement program in half, ending the Central American Minor Parole and Refugee program, and undercutting asylum access, this latest decision demonstrates that this administration is not sparing even the most vulnerable immigrants. It has never been clearer, or more imperative, for Congress to step up and protect our neighbors.”
FCNL calls on members of Congress to pass legislation that provides legal status to TPS recipients who have lived here for many years, would face undue hardship if deported, or are otherwise eligible for permanent residence.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people of many different faiths from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.
