FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2022
Contact: Bethelhem Negash, bethelhem@undocublack.org
Washington, DC – The UndocuBlack Network celebrates the hard earned victory that is the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. This decision came after months of advocacy led by impacted community members, Black immigrant organizations, and allies. International bodies such as the UN Security Council are considering interventions in Haiti and describing the situation on the ground as “absolutely nightmarish…” due to civil unrest caused by years of post-colonial and imperialist meddling in Haitian affairs, gang violence, an economic crisis and a cholera outbreak that is wreaking havoc in the nation. These country conditions meet and exceed the legal standard needed for a TPS designation, yet what should have been a simple humanitarian choice took months of strenuous efforts of issuing multiple letters, petitions and calls to the Biden-Harris administration.
“We should not have to convince an administration that touts racial equity as a priority, that it is not a good idea to expel and deport Black migrants into a country that is both on literal and figurative fire. ”
Temporary Protected Status is a form of humanitarian relief, created by Congress to be used judiciously. Dire conditions such as the ones we are witnessing in Haiti are a textbook example of why TPS exists. There is an overwhelming amount of reporting and evidence which affirms that any person deported or expelled to Haiti could face imminent harm or even death. It is with this understanding of the dangers on the ground in Haiti that the UndocuBlack Network breathes a massive sigh of relief after yesterday’s decisions.
Haddy Gassama, Policy and Advocacy Director of the UndocuBlack Network, said “ We are grateful for the leadership of our partners at Haitian Bridge Alliance and other organizations, many of whom supported a recent letter calling for the extension and redesignation of TPS for Haiti. Yet, we also hold the frustrating truth that getting to a yes on a redesignation of TPS for Haiti should not have taken non-stop advocacy up until the eleventh hour. We should not have to convince an administration that touts racial equity as a priority, that it is not a good idea to expel and deport Black migrants into a country that is both on literal and figurative fire. As the Biden-Harris administration weighs options for processing migrants after a Title-42 wind down and Congress considers a legislative framework that could codify Title-42, we urge the administration and Members of Congress to lean towards humanely welcoming migrants in a dignified manner. We also call for the same humanitarian protection given to our Haitian brothers and sisters through TPS to be extended to other nations such as Mauritania and Mali, both of which meet the legal standards for a TPS designation.”
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