STATEMENT: Decision to End Protections for 50,000 Haitians Is Unprincipled and Heartless, Says CAP’s Tom Jawetz

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals, effective July 22, 2019. Tom Jawetz, vice president for Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement in response:

There is no principled basis for the administration’s announcement tonight to end TPS for Haitians. Only six months ago, the Department of Homeland Security under Gen. John Kelly concluded that conditions on the ground warranted an extension of TPS for Haiti. In the intervening months, conditions have only worsened, as Haiti experienced additional flooding and devastation due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

In the same way that the Trump administration created an unnecessary crisis for nearly 800,000 Dreamers by terminating the DACA initiative, the administration today created tremendous fear and uncertainty for 50,000 Haitians that have been living and working in the country lawfully for many years, as well as their 27,000 U.S.-born children.

Those affected by today’s heartless and unwise decision should seek guidance in the days ahead about how to apply for an additional 18 months of protection and seek legal advice. And Congress must now get to work once more cleaning up the mess left behind by an administration intent on pursuing a policy of mass deportation.