BAJI To Biden Administration: Expand Haitian TPS, Cease Deportation Of Haitians

A massive 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, August 14, 2021 leaving more than 1400 dead, thousands more injured and these numbers are expected to rise. Tropical Depression Grace, according to the National Hurricane Center in the U.S., may cause flash flooding and mudslides when it lands this week as the island continues to reel from the July assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise.

Compassion for the Haitian people, in the form of practical humanitarian aid, is what is needed right now. Donate to reputable organizations like Haiti Action Committee’s Haitian Emergency Relief Fund and Man Dodo Humanitarian Foundation as they understand the lay of the land and can get help to the people as quickly as possible.

It is not enough for the Biden administration to wax poetic about being a “close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti”. The Biden administration must extend and expand Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitians as a reprieve to those here in the US which will also have a positive ripple effect on Haiti through remittances. Additionally, the US government must allow Haitian asylum seekers across the U.S. border and offer them asylum without detention. Finally, all deportations and expulsions of Haitian nationals must cease immediately.