As the Haitian people and hundreds of international aid organizations continue to reel from the devastation of this week's earthquake, now is the time for President Obama to step up his support of the Haitian people and finally grant temporary protective status (TPS) to Haitians living in the U.S.
Long before a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Port-au-Prince this week, SEIU and thousands of advocates, lawmakers, and Haitian leaders have urged the Obama Administration to shift its policy for Haitian immigrants escaping abject poverty and political turmoil. Temporary Protective Status is normally granted to immigrants from countries facing grave disturbances, including armed conflict and natural disasters. No country fits the bill better than Haiti. The tragedy there is of historic proportions.
Thousands of SEIU members like Micheline Charles, an FHU home care provider in Miami, trace their roots back to tiny, impoverished towns in Haiti. They recount stories of political turmoil, violence and hunger. "You don't know what it looks like when you don't have any money and you can't give your children breakfast," said Micheline in a recent video interview.
In Haiti, stories like Micheline's recount a perfect storm of extreme poverty, political turmoil and natural disaster that has led to untold suffering. Just in 2008, four major hurricanes ravaged Haiti, leaving 800 people dead, annihilating more than half of Haiti's harvest, and leaving countless cities uninhabitable. Earlier in the decade, tropical storm Jeanne flooded the northern coast town Gonaives, leaving nearly 3,000 Haitians dead.
While Haiti has enjoyed small windows of political stability, the island has faced near constant political upheaval. Many will recall the coup and subsequent U.S. military invasion that restored power to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1994. A decade later, violent uprisings forced Arastide into exile. Ever since, United Nations forces, Doctors Without Borders, and countless other aid organizations have helped buttress a country that continues to face violent uprisings, natural disasters, and the worst economy in the Western hemisphere.
That is why just 24 hours since the earthquake, SEIU has joined countless advocacy groups, Senators, and community leaders to send letters and make calls urging the Administration to finally do right for the Haitian people and grant temporary protective status. Despite misleading criticism of TPS, it would only be available to Haitians living in the U.S.
Since the earthquake, President Obama has promised the people of Haiti that they "will not be forsaken." SEIU enthusiastically supports the critical recovery efforts and the tremendous response President Obama's administration has already enacted. It only makes sense that the President complete the promise.
It's time to end the deportation of Haitians who have escaped countless miseries in order to care for their families and loves ones. It's time to grant temporary protective status now.
