FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2021
CONTACT:
Bethelhem Negash, Bethelhem@undocublack.org
Adela de la Torre, adela.delatorre@gmail.com
WASHINGTON -- Buzzfeed News reported today that the Biden administration will redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. TPS protects any Haitian immigrant in the U.S. on or before May 21, 2021 from deportations and provides them with work authorization. This move comes after years of concerted advocacy led by Black immigrants. The Trump administration stripped Haiti of its TPS status in 2017, after evidence emerged of racist motives behind the move.
“Today’s news is the result of countless hours of organizing, advocacy, and mobilization among Black immigrant leaders,” said Patrice Lawrence, co-director of the UndocuBlack Network. “But while we celebrate today’s news, we know the work is only beginning. Other majority-Black countries, including Cameroon, Mauritania, Bahamas and St. Vincent, also must receive TPS designation immediately.”
“Haitian communities are celebrating today, not just for ourselves, but because today’s news is a reminder to all of us that efforts to do what’s right are effective,” said Shelly Clermenco, a Haitian TPS holder and advocate. “But this is just the beginning. We need Congress to do what is right and provide a path to citizenship so that my family and I can live fully and freely. Our lives are not temporary.”
For more information about advocacy around Temporary Protected Status, please visit https://undocublack.org/tps.
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