Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program Explained

Trump’s Racism Against Haitians on Display Again: Ending the Much-Needed Haitian Family Reunification Program Hurts Thousands of Haitians!

 

SOUTH FLORIDA – Trump’s DHS on August 2nd announced its intention to end the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program (HFRP). It began strangling this program when he took office in January 2017.

From “shithole countries” and saying Haitians “all have AIDS,” to asking bipartisan senators “why would we want any more Haitians?” and saying he prefers “Norwegians.” Furthermore, ending Haiti’s TPS and inclusion in the H-2A and H-2B programs is more evidence of his anti-Haitian actions and animus.

Speeding up legal immigration from Haiti was urged by bi-partisan supporters. This was seen as a way to help Haiti recover after 2010’s quake, which killed at least 250,000 and devastated the nation.

Although not created until March 2015 and too-limited in scope, about 8,300 beneficiaries (who’d each waited about ten years in Haiti!) of DHS-approved visa petitions have joined their families under the program.

HFRP operated by invitation only to qualifying petitioners (as beneficiaries who’d been waiting in Haiti for years finally came within 42 months of getting visas), but Trump’s DHS intentionally never issued any invitations, effectively strangling it.

Former American Immigration Lawyers Association President Ira Kurzban, long a champion of equal treatment for Haitians, said, “The decision of the Trump White House to end this program is simply one more racist act against Haitians that began with his calling Haiti a “shithole” country and then cutting all benefits to Haitians including TPS, the H-2A,  and H-2B programs.”

Impact on Haiti’s Recovery

Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) immigration policy coordinator Steve Forester, one of the program’s champions said, “Just like ending Haiti TPS, this again demonstrates Trump’s racism and disregard for the rule of law; it hurts the United States by impeding Haiti’s recovery from the quake, 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, the ongoing imported cholera epidemic, and it again shows Trump lied when he told Haitian-Americans he cared about the hundreds of thousands who died in the earthquake.”

“Terminating yet another legal and badly needed program clearly shows that the Trump administration’s real intent is to stop the flow of black and brown immigrants coming into this country, period,” said Marleine Bastien, Family Action Network Movement Executive Director.  Why else would he stop a bona fide, legal program when Haiti is going through such a high level of instability, human rights violations, and violence? The ending of the HFRP and continuous ICE raids target legal immigrants who use welfare benefits. These show that President Trump’s real issue is not about legal or illegal immigration. It is about preventing Black and Browns from coming or remaining in the United States.”

South Florida Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program Rally

Former AILA President Ira Kurzban, Immigration Advocates, Faith, and Community Leaders, and FANM members will gather on Wednesday, August 14, 2019. They will meet at 10:45am at the FANM office located at 100 N.E. 84 Street, Miami. The purpose is to discuss next steps regarding the termination of the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program.