The Honorable President Joe Biden
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2801 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20528
The Honorable Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. State Department
2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20037
November 22, 2022
Re: Extend and Redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status
Dear President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Mayorkas:
Haitian Bridge Alliance and the undersigned 422 immigration, human rights, faith-based, and civil rights organizations write to request that your Administration extend and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in light of Haiti’s deteriorating security, governance, and humanitarian crises. Recently, sixteen U.S. senators agreed and released a letter calling for the same.1
As U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis told the United Nations Security Council in September, “We all know that security in Haiti has worsened over the past year as criminal gangs continue to ravage parts of the country, leading to many killings and kidnappings. We are concerned with the significant deterioration in the independence and operational ability of the judiciary and the apparent evidence of widespread impunity reserved for elite members of the Haitian population.”2
Armed groups, many controlled by members of the Haitian government, are terrorizing Haiti’s capital with kidnappings and other violent crimes, which have spilled into cities across the country. The country has experienced a nationwide lockdown for several weeks, with roads and businesses blocked by barricades erected by armed groups. Civilians are being threatened, injured, sexually assaulted, or killed, and homes are being looted and burned by gang violence. The UN estimates that 1.5 million people, or nearly 50 percent of the capital’s population, are directly affected by gang violence, and 4.5 million need humanitarian assistance.3 Since June 2021, more than 50,000 people have been displaced and forced to leave their homes due to violence.4
A gang blockade at Haiti’s principal fuel terminal has crippled day-to-day activity throughout the country, paralyzing the economy, interrupting movement, and restricting essential supplies of food, medicine, and fuel for over 2 months. The inflation rate is 30 percent, the value of the Gourde dropped 32 percent from January to August 2022, and the price of food and gas has doubled, and in some cases increased ten-fold on the black market. According to a recent report by the UN, 4.7 million people in Haitian Nationals are facing acute hunger, including 19,000 in catastrophic famine conditions for the first time.5
As the UN Security Council is considering an international intervention in Haiti to open aid corridors and resolve what the UN Secretary-General calls an “absolutely nightmarish situation,” the United States and Canada sent armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti to help police fight powerful gangs. According to the U.S. and Canadian governments, the supplies sent on military aircraft are meant to assist Haiti’s National Police “in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance,” especially with the resurgence of cholera cases in the country.6 According to Haiti’s Health Ministry, as of November 5, there are 6,072 suspected cases of cholera and 121 deaths.7 With a healthcare system on a dramatic decline and the population unable to access the few hospitals and clinics that are open due to shortage of gas and gang violence, the Pan American Health Organization warned that the real number of cases is likely much higher than those reported.8
All of the conditions leading to the Biden administration’s original TPS redesignation on May 22, 2021, the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, the August 14, 2021 earthquake and subsequent tropical storm, and the deteriorating crises as described herein, make a safe return to Haiti completely impossible. On November 3, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed this sentiment and warned, “In this context, it is clear that the systematic violations of rights in Haiti do not currently allow for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of Haitians to the country.”9 In response to these catastrophic events, we ask the Administration urgently consider the following actions:
Extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti
The current TPS designation for Haiti will expire on February 3, 2023. By statute, the Secretary of Homeland Security must decide by December 5, 2022, if conditions meet requirements that prevent safe return and pose a serious threat to the personal safety of nationals of that country.
Given the deteriorating security and humanitarian crises as described herein that present extraordinary and temporary conditions that make a safe return to Haiti impossible, the Administration should extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS. This will allow protection against removal and eligibility for work authorization to all eligible Haitians currently in the United States. Most Haitians who have entered the United States since the TPS eligibility date of July 29, 2021, crossed through as many as eleven countries on a dangerous and traumatic voyage in search of safety and security for their family. The current TPS recipients from Haiti in the United States, many of whom have been here for decades and have children who are U.S. citizens, have also become essential to our economy and our morale as a country.
For example, Rose Tilus, a Nurse Practitioner born in Haiti who has worked in nursing homes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and has herself contracted COVID-19, is providing essential services to our nation during this pandemic. In her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security in May 2021, she stated, “In these difficult times, immigrants have shown their support and their devotion to this country. We have stood as frontline workers knowing that there was a possibility of death. Despite this, I live in constant fear of deportation and/or discontinuation of my Temporary Protected Status.”10
We request that the Biden administration redesignate Haiti for TPS, provide a minimum 180-day registration period for both current TPS holders and new beneficiaries under redesignation, and lead a public education campaign in English and Haitian Creole to inform impacted community members.
Swift release of the Federal Register Notice and timely adjudication of TPS applications
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last redesignated TPS for Haiti on May 22, 2021, but the FRN, which enables prospective beneficiaries to apply, was issued on August 3, 2021. For this new designation, to avoid disruption of employment eligibility, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must issue a new Federal Register Notice extending TPS work authorization for current TPS holders well before February 3, 2023. We urge for a swift publication of a Federal Register Notice (FRN) extending TPS for Haitians.
The delays in publishing the FRN have grave consequences for beneficiaries and their families since their TPS-related documents are only valid for a limited duration through certain expiration dates. Further, any delay in processing and approving TPS applications after the issuance of the FRN leaves thousands at risk of deportation and without authorization to work. These delays, which can last more than the period for which TPS is granted, can make the TPS designations meaningless. There are still tens of thousands of TPS applications pending for Haitian Nationals from the last redesignation. The top two countries with the highest number of pending applications in Q3 were Venezuela (135,452) and Haiti (90,943), which made up 90 percent of the total backlog.11
Given this issue, it is important that the applications of those currently pending be transferred to the new redesignation date. This policy will enable these applicants to be released from the burden of paying an additional application fee as they continue to wait for a decision, but will also help USCIS appropriately close out cases without adding more applications to the backlog. In the case of South Sudan earlier this year, we were glad to see the issuance of the FRN on the same day as the designation. Similarly, the FRN for Venezuela in March 2021 and for Burma in September 2022 was published within one day of the TPS announcements. We hope that this time frame becomes the norm and not the exception.
Indefinitely halt deportations to Haiti, release detained Haitians, and support administrative closure of removal cases
Starting on January 13, 2010, the day after the devastating 7.0 earthquake, the U.S. government halted all deportations to Haiti for about eleven months.12 Removals were temporarily halted again in October 2016 after Hurricane Matthew’s devastation.13 Following the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, 134 human rights, humanitarian, immigration, and women’s rights organizations wrote requesting your government halt deportation and expulsion flights.14 Again, following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August 2021, 334 organizations wrote another letter requesting the same.15 Even though the Haitian government has been unable to safely receive and reintegrate its citizens, there have been over 240 deportation and expulsion flights to Haiti since September 19, 2021. Most of these estimated 25,000 individuals removed to Haiti were blocked from seeking asylum and other protection by Title 42 policies. These removals severely undermine the Administration’s promise to build a fairer and more inclusive immigration and asylum system for all. We request a halt of any deportations and expulsion flights to the already-overburdened country.
Furthermore, consistent with Sec. 241 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and the accompanying regulations at 8 CFR Sec. 241,16 Haitians with final removal orders should be released from immigration detention if they pose no threat to public safety or national security because there is no significant likelihood of their removal in the reasonably foreseeable future. Attorney General Garland restored the authority of immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals to administratively close deportation proceedings nationwide.17 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys should be instructed to join motions to administratively close the cases of Haitians in removal proceedings since they cannot be safely removed under current conditions.
Conclusion
Thank you for considering these urgent requests to protect individuals like Rose Tilus, one of the thousands of Haitian TPS beneficiaries contributing to U.S. society. We strongly urge the Biden administration to (1) extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS, (2) swiftly release the Federal Register Notice, (3) provide a minimum 180-day registration period for both current TPS holders and new beneficiaries under redesignation, (4) release all Haitians currently in immigration detention centers, and (5) halt deportation and expulsion flights to Haiti. We look forward to working with you on this issue over the coming days and weeks.
Sincerely,
1. AAPI Women Lead
2. ACCESS Community
3. Access Living/ Cambiando Vidas
4. Adhikaar
5. ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
6. Adrian Dominican Sisters
7. Affinity Group, LLC
8. African Bureau of Immigration & Social Affairs
9. African Communities Together
10. African Human Rights Coalition
11. African Services Committee
12. Al Otro Lado
13. Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ)
14. Alabama Latino AIDS Coalition
15. Aldea – The People’s Justice Center
16. Alianza Americas
17. Alternative Chance – Chans Altenativ
18. America’s Voice
19. American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
20. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
21. American Immigration Lawyers Association
22. American Jewish World Service
23. Americans for Immigrant Justice
24. Amnesty International USA
25. Ansara Family Fund
26. Arkansas United
27. Armadillos Ni un Migrante Menos
28. Asian American Federation
29. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
30. Asian Counseling and Referral Service
31. ASISTA Immigration Assistance
32. Asociación de Guatemaltecos Sin Fronteras
33. Association Haïtienne des Etudiants en Médecine
34. Association of Haitian Women, Inc. (AFAB)
35. Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP)
36. Ayiti Community Trust
37. Ayuda
38. Berotte Consultancy Associates LLC
39. Beyond Borders
40. Black Alliance for Just Immigration
41. Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) 42. Black Women Organizing For Power
43. Blessed Trinity
44. Border Organizing Project
45. Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network 46. Boukan News
47. Brazilian Women’s Group
48. Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Ind.
49. Buen Vecino
50. Cameroon Advocacy Network
51. Campaign Against Racism
52. Campaign Against Racism / Haïti Chapter
53. Campaign Against Racism NYC Chapter
54. Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
55. Caribbean American Diaspora Alliance
56. CARECEN
57. CASA
58. Casa de la Cultura El Salvador
59. Casa Generalizia della Societa del Sacro Cuore
60. Casa Mariposa Detention Visitation Program
61. Casa Mary Johanna
62. Casa Yurumein
63. Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
64. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Boston
65. Catholic Charities of SW Kansas
66. Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
67. Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami, Inc
68. Cayae.net
69. Center for Constitutional Rights
70. Center for Economic and Policy Research
71. Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
72. Center for Immigrant Progress
73. Center for Law and Social Policy
74. Center for New Americans
75. Central American Black Organization
76. Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA)
77. Central American Resource Center of Northern CA – CARECEN SF 78. Central American Resource Center of Washington DC
79. Central Florida Jobs With Justice
80. Centre Medical Herboriste
81. Centro Comunitario CEUS
82. Centro Presente
83. Centro Romero
84. Centro San Bonifacio
85. Chacon Center for Immigrant Justice at Maryland Carey Law
86. Charnette Frederic Civic Association
87. Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America-CRLN 88. ChicagoCRED
89. Children of Haitian Immigrants, Inc.
90. Chosen Vessel of God nonprofit organization
91. Church of the Ascension, NYC
92. Church Women United in New York State
93. Church World Service
94. Churches United For Fair Housing – CUFFH
95. CHW-KATA
96. CIELO- Comunidades Indígenas en liderazgo (CIELO)
97. City of Maple Heights
98. City of North Miami Beach
99. City of Somerville, Mayor
100. Civil Society SDGs Campaign GCAP Zambia
101. Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
102. Coalición de Derechos Humanos
103. Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
104. Colectivo de Desarrollo Transnacional de Michoacán
105. Colectivo de Mujeres Transnacionales
106. Colorado Jobs with Justice (COJWJ)
107. Communities Organizing Latinx Power and Action -COPAL Minnesota
108. Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)
109. Community Asylum Seekers Project
110. Community Change Action
111. Community Justice Exchange / National Bail Fund Network
112. Congregation of Holy Cross Priests and Brothers USA
113. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
114. Congregation of the Mission
115. Congregational United Church of Christ
116. Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible
117. Connecticut Worker Center
118. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
119. Creative Exchanges initiative
120. CRECEN Houston
121. CUNY Haitian Studies Institute – Brooklyn College
122. Daughters of Charity
123. Denver Justice and Peace Committee (DJPC)
124. Detention Watch Network
125. Developmental Systems, Inc.
126. Diaspora Community Services
127. Diáspora Hondureña Internacional
128. Disaster Law Project
129. Dominican Development Center
130. Dominican Leadership Conference
131. Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
132. Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
133. DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving
134. Durango Unido
135. Edmund Rice International
136. Emerald Isle Immigration Center
137. Environmental Justice Initiative for Haiti, Inc.
138. Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee
139. Equal Health
140. Everett Bay LLC
141. Faiths for Safe Water
142. Familias Unidas en Acción
143. Families Belong Together
144. Families for Freedom
145. Family Action Network Movement
146. FANM in Action
147. Farmworker Association of Florida
148. FEDECMI – La Federación de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois (Casa Michoacán)
149. Fédération des association régional. Farhe
150. Fellowship Southwest
151. Feminist Majority Foundation
152. FIRM Action
153. First Focus on Children
154. Fleur De Vie
155. Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
156. Florida Immigrant Coalition
157. Florida Rising
158. Fondasyon Mapou
159. Forum Haitien pour la paix et le développement Durable
160. Franciscan Action Network
161. Franciscans for Justice
162. Freedom for Immigrants
163. Friends of Matènwa
164. FWD.us
165. Global Cleveland
166. Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law
167. GOALS Haiti
168. Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
169. Groupe d’Appui au Développement et á la Démocratie (GRADE)
170. Haiti H2O
171. Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota
172. Haiti Renewal Alliance
173. Haiti Solidarity Network of the North East
174. Haitian American Association of Brevard
175. Haitian American Foundation for Democracy
176. Haitian Bridge Alliance
177. Haitian Ladies Network
178. Haitian Lawyers Association
179. Haitian Pastors Association
180. Haitian Studies Association
181. Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
182. Haitian-American Democratic Club
183. Haitians Unified for Development and Education (HUDE)
184. Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program
185. Health Communication Partners
186. Heartland Workers Center
187. HIAS
188. Hispanic Federation
189. Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama ¡HICA!
190. Holy Cross International Justice Office
191. Hondurans Against AIDS
192. Hope For Haiti: Education
193. Houston America For All
194. Houston Coalition Against Hate
195. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
196. Human Rights First
197. Human Rights Initiative of North Texas
198. Humanitarian Focus Foundation
199. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
200. Illinois Workers Action
201. Immaculate Heart Community Commission on Justice for Immigrants, Refugees, Indigenous Peoples
202. Immigrant ARC
203. Immigrant Defenders Law Center
204. Immigrant Family Services Institute-USA
205. Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
206. Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
207. Immigrant Legal Center of Boulder County
208. Immigrant Legal Resource Center
209. Immigrant Welcome Center
210. Immigrants List Civic Action, Inc.
211. Immigration Equality
212. Immigration Hub
213. Immigration Support Services Network
214. Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice
215. Innovation Law Lab
216. InReach
217. Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
218. Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights
219. Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Loreto Generalate
220. Interfaith Welcome Coalition – San Antonio
221. International Institute of New England
222. International Mayan League
223. International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
224. International Rescue Committee
225. InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia
226. Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice
227. Jackson Memorial Hospital
228. Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter
229. Jemez Peacemakers
230. Jewish Voice for Peace, Atlanta chapter
231. Just Futures Law
232. Just Neighbors Ministry
233. Justice Action Center
234. Justice Center of Southeast MA
235. Justice for Our Neighbors El Paso
236. Justice in Motion
237. Karen Organization of San Diego
238. Kay Mackenson medical center
239. Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
240. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
241. Konbit for Haiti
242. Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A.
243. La Resistencia
244. La Troupe Makandal, Inc.
245. Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
246. Latin American Working Group (LAWG)
247. Latinas en Poder
248. Latino Commission on AIDS
249. Latino Policy Forum
250. Latinos Progresando
251. Legal Aid Justice Center
252. LEPOCO Peace Center (Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern)
253. Lights for Liberty
254. Lila LGBTQ, Inc.
255. Living Hope Wheelchair Association
256. Lizandra Vidal LLC
257. Long Island Immigration Clinic/Sisters of St. Joseph
258. Louisiana State University
259. LSN Legal LLC
260. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
261. Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA)
262. MA Communities Action Network
263. Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
264. Manifest Haiti
265. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
266. Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
267. Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
268. Miami Workers Center
269. Migrant, Immigrant & Refugee Rights Alliance (MIRR Alliance)
270. MIRA Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance
271. Mission Guatemala USA
272. Monika Foundation
273. Motivation Motivates
274. Mundo Maya Foundation
275. MVUU Contigo Immigration Justice Ministry
276. NAHRA, Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance
277. Nash & Associates
278. National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
279. National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals
280. National Council of Churches
281. National Domestic Workers Alliance
282. National Employment Law Project
283. National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON)
284. National Immigrant Justice Center
285. National Immigration Law Center
286. National Immigration Project (NIPNLG)
287. National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
288. National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
289. National Partnership for New Americans
290. National TPS Alliance
291. Nebraska Appleseed
292. Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
293. New Hampshire Conference United Church of Christ, Immigrant & Refugee Support Group
294. New Jersey for Haiti
295. New Jersey Forum for Human Rights
296. New York Immigration Coalition
297. New York Justice for Our Neighbors, Inc.
298. Newman Catholic Center at Eastern Ill. Univ.
299. Nicaragua Center for Community Action
300. NJ State Industrial Union Council
301. NorCal TPS Coalition
302. North American Climate, Conservation and Environment
303. Northeastern University School of Law Immigrant Justice Clinic
304. Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment
305. Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
306. NouVleViv
307. O.L.A. Raza Inc.
308. Oak Point University
309. Oasis Legal Services
310. Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLA)
311. Ohio Immigrant Alliance
312. One Brooklyn Health
313. OneAmerica
314. ONECA/CABO
315. Opening Doors International Services
316. OPODNE–Faith in Action International
317. Our Lady Queen of Peace church
318. Oxfam America
319. Parish Twinning Program of the America
320. Partners In Health
321. Passionist Solidarity Network
322. Passionists International
323. Pax Christi USA
324. People’s Response Network
325. Pilgrim United Church of Christ
326. Presbyterian Church (USA)
327. Professor emeritus, Wellesley College
328. Provincial Council Clerics of St. Viator
329. Public Law Center
330. Quixote Center
331. Radio Kajou
332. RAICES
333. Rainbow & Thunderbolts MultiMedia Inc.
334. RCMA – Redlands Christian Migrant Association
335. Red de Pueblos Transnacionales
336. Red Mexicana de Líderes y Organizaciones de Migrantes
337. Refugee Immigration Ministry
338. Refugees International
339. Religious of Jesus and Mary, USA-Haiti Province
340. Revive Your Soul Ministries, Inc.
341. Revolve Impact
342. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
343. Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA)
344. Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
345. Roots of Development
346. Rural Women Health Project
347. Salvadoran Association of Los Angeles (ASOSAL)
348. Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center
349. School of the Americas Watch Educational Fund
350. School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province
351. Seattle Immigrant Rights Action Group
352. Seeds of Resistance
353. SEIU Florida
354. Sensus Fidelium
355. Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
356. Sisters of Charity Federation
357. Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership
358. Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Western Province Leadership
359. Sisters of Charity of New York
360. Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill
361. Sisters of Holy Cross
362. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
363. Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
364. Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet
365. Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
366. Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa
367. Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston
368. Sisters of the Holy Cross
369. Social Medicine Alumni of Haïti
370. Society of the Sacred Heart
371. Soley Consulting, LLC
372. Solidarity Committee of the Americas, Minnesota
373. South Bay People Power
374. Southeast Immigrant Rights Network (SEIRN)
375. St Augustine’s Church
376. St Mark Community Education Program
377. Strangers No Longer – Michigan
378. Summits Education
379. Tahirih Justice Center
380. Telpochcalli Community Education Project
381. Texas Civil Rights Project
382. The 360 Evolution Academy, Inc.
383. The Advocates for Human Rights
384. The Center for Undocumented Students at Saint Peter’s University
385. The Haitian Legal Network, inc.
386. The Law Offices of Frandley D Julien PA
387. The Literacy Center, Attleboro, MA
388. The Resurrection Project
389. True Alliance Center Inc./GBNCC
390. Tsuru for Solidarity
391. UndocuBlack Network
392. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hidalgo County
393. Unitarian Universalist Refugee & Immigrant Services & Education
394. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
395. Unite North Metro Denver
396. Unite Oregon
397. United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries
398. United for a Fair Economy
399. United front of the Haitian Diaspora
400. United Methodist Church
401. United We Dream Network
402. United Women of East Africa
403. University of Minnesota
404. Unlocking Communities
405. Vice-Mayor, City Of North Miami Beach, FL
406. Voice for Refuge Action Fund
407. Wallingford Indivisible
408. Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group
409. Wayne Action for Racial Equality
410. WeCount!
411. WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
412. Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration (WJCI)
413. Westover Hills Presbyterian Church, Little Rock
414. Wilco Justice Alliance (Williamson County, TX)
415. Win Without War
416. WIN! The Welcome Immigrant Network
417. Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center
418. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
419. Witness at the Border
420. Women Working Together U.S.A
421. Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)
422. Women’s Refugee Commission
423. Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
Cc:
The Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States Attorney General Garland, Department of Justice
Advisor Jake Sullivan, National Security Council
Ambassador Susan Rice, Domestic Policy Council
1 Joint letter from sixteen senators to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken (Oct. 26, 2022), available at https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_dhs_and_state_from_senator_markey_and_colleagues_on_haiti_tps_-_october_2022pdf.pdf
2 Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing in Haiti (Sep. 26, 2022), available at: https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-briefing-on-haiti-3/.
3 IOM Response to Internally Displaced Persons in Haiti, Office of Internal Migration (Aug. 10, 2022), available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/iom-response-internally-displaced-persons-haiti-10-august-2022.
4 Id.
5 Lederer, Edith, New report: A record 4.7 million Haitians face acute hunger, The Washington Post (Oct, 14, 2022), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-report-a-record-47-million-haitians-face-acute-hunger/2022/10/14/5794044 6-4c16-11ed-8153-96ee97b218d2_story.html.
6U.S. Department of State, Joint Statement: United Stastes and Canada Coordinate Delivery of Haitian National Police (HNP) Equipment (Oct. 15, 2022), available at https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-united-states-and-canada-coordinate-delivery-of-haitian-national-police-hnp-equipment/.
7 Epidemiological Situation of Cholera, Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (Nov. 5, 2022), available at https://www.mspp.gouv.ht/wp-content/uploads/Sitrep-cholera_05_Novembre-2022.pdf.
8 Cholera in Hispaniola, Situation Report #4, Pan American Health Organization (Nov. 3, 2022), available at https://www.paho.org/en/file/119106/download?token=73jAtEkh.
9 Haiti: International community must act now to avoid tragedy – Türk, Press Release from UN Office of High Commissioner (Nov. 3, 2022), available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/haiti-international-community-must-act-now-avert-tragedy-turk.
10 Testimony of Rose Michelle Tilus Before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety (May 12, 2021), available at https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Rose%20Tilus%20TPS%20Essential%20Worker%20Testimony.pdf.
11 Number of Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status By Country of Designation, Quarter, and Case Status October 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022, USCIS [last viewed on Nov. 7, 2022], https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/I821_RADP_FY22_Q3.pdf.
12 Julia Preston, In Quake Aftermath, U.S. Suspends Deportations to Haiti, The New York Times (Jan. 13, 2010), available at https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/americas/14deport.html.
13 U.S. resumes deportation flights to Haiti, The Associated Press (Nov. 23, 2016), available at https://apnews.com/article/a74f0b451e5a45e19c996843f79b9e7d
14 Joint Letter to President Biden, DHS, DPC, NSA and DOS on Immediate Protection of Haitians Inside the U.S. and at the Southern Border After Assassination of President Moïse (Jul, 8, 2021), available at
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15apii6x05RCoTZJKvMxPz0xS5CP1frA0NyKfM1MHupY/edit.
15 Joint Letter to White House, Halting Deportation Flights to Haiti (Aug. 30, 2021), available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q8j-fwbG8rG91k89zedChlRQH3yvlpGv_hGhSHC1LE8/edit.
16 INA § 241(b)(3).
17 28 I&N Dec. 326 (A.G. 2021).