Washington, D.C. — Today, keeping a key campaign promise, President Joe Biden announced that his administration would be redesignating Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new designation will allow eligible Haitians living in the United States—who are unable to return safely to their homeland due to political unrest, devastation from national disasters, and extraordinary conditions facing the island—to remain in the country together with their families and work for the next 18 months.
In response, Philip E. Wolgin, acting vice president for Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
A TPS redesignation for Haiti provides a much-needed reprieve for Haitians in the United States, including current Haitian TPS beneficiaries. Haiti was previously granted TPS designation, extension, and redesignation by the Obama administration in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, which was followed by a nationwide cholera outbreak.
In 2017, the previous administration abruptly ended TPS for Haitians, despite ongoing challenges in the country, including deadly natural disasters, widespread food insecurity, and political violence and instability. Redesignating Haiti for TPS will protect Haitians living in the United States from being returned to a country not prepared to receive them. Today’s decision mitigates the risks of further destabilization in the region. We applaud the Biden administration for keeping its promise, and we urge President Biden to continue working with Congress to guarantee a permanent pathway to citizenship for TPS holders, Dreamers, and immigrant workers who have been on the front lines of the nation’s COVID-19 response.
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For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].