Haitian Nationals In Miami-Dade to meet with Miami Dade County Commission Chairman on Census and TPS

MIAMI – On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the city of Port-au-Prince leaving the city in ruin and many Miami-Dade County Haitian-American residents in limbo. In response to this disaster The Department of Homeland Security has announced that the administration will extend temporary protected status to Haitians in the U.S.

As the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners continues to coordinate relief efforts, Commission Chairman Dennis C. Moss has called on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to advise residents and repatriates on what TPS means to them. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti and to their family and friends here in Miami-Dade and around the world,” said Chairman Moss. “In speaking with the Honorable Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, I requested that we lend whatever assistance we can in the face of this terrible disaster”.

Chairman Dennis C. Moss

This Saturday, March 27th 2010 from 9am-12pm Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Dennis C. Moss, United State Citizenship and Immigration Service and US Census will be holding a discussion with Haitians nationals residing in Miami-Dade County on how to apply for Temporary Protective Status (TPS) at Phichol Williams Community Center, 951 SW 4th St. in Homestead.

According to the USCIS, Haitian nationals have been granted TPS beginning January 21, 2010 through July 22, 2011. You are eligible for TPS if you meet all of the following requirements:

· Are a national of a county designated for TPS, or a person without nationality who last habitually resided in the designated country;

· File during the open registration or re-registration period, or you meet the requirements for late initial registration regardless of whether there is currently an open registration or re-registration period;

· Have been a continuous resident in the United States since the date specified for your country;

· Have not been convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors in the United States;

· Are not a persecutor, or otherwise subject to one of the bars to asylum;

· Are not subject to one of the criminal or security related grounds of inadmissibility for which a waiver is not available; and

· Have met all the requirements for TPS registration or re-registration as specified for your country.

In addition to providing information regarding TPS, the US Census Bureau has been invited to provide information and encourage participation in the 2010 U.S. Census. Over the next few months the U.S. Census Bureau will be providing employment for 1,000 workers in Miami-Dade and Monroe County.