DHS Secretary Kelly Encourages Haitian Officials to Reintegrate Haitian TPS Recipients during Haiti visit
MIAMI – On Wednesday, May 31st, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly traveled to Haiti for a four-hour trip to make assessments regarding the country’s conditions.
DHS released a readout of Secretary Kelly’s trip, which indicates that he encouraged Haitian government officials, including the newly elected President Moïse, to plan for reintegrating Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States back to Haiti.
This news is not only disheartening, but a great disappointment for Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and their families.
If the U.S. government decides to deport Haitian immigrants en masse, this will not only destabilize the U.S. economy, but Haiti’s as well. Remittances to Haiti are crucial to the livelihood of many families, including women and children, and to continual growth of Haiti’s GDP.
“The blatant denial of concrete evidence that shows that Haiti is in no condition to reintegrate tens of thousands of Haitian nationals who have been living abroad for many years is infuriating. Secretary Kelly did not spend a sufficient amount of time in Haiti to make a fair assessment of the country’s conditions.
I advise that he heeds the call of Congresswomen Yvette Clarke, Fredericka Wilson and others to return to Haiti and conduct a thorough evaluation of the precarious conditions there,” said FANM Executive Director, Marleine Bastien.
FANM – Haitian Women of Miami along with our allies in the U.S. and in Haiti will continue to urge DHS Secretary to extend TPS for Haiti for twenty-four months.
Join FANM tonight for a TPS Town Hall Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at Caribbean Marketplace at 5929 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33137.
