Showing posts with label temporary protected status. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temporary protected status. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
In Our Community: Immigration News
It's been a hot, hot week in DC and immigration has been heating up around the country, with Arizona's new immigration law (S.B. 1070) so close to taking effect. Keep up with the news on immigration from Monday, July 19 to Monday, July 26.
On July 24, advocates created their own ICE checkpoint at Netroots Nation, demanding the "papers" of all white conference participants before they would be allowed to enter the cafeteria. This creative direct action drew attention to the problems of racial profiling in immigration enforcement. One of the people who got stopped said, "Even though it was a total satire, it was right on. And you can begin to get a sense of what that would be like to constantly have the fear that you will be asked to produce papers." The checkpoint was inspired by this direct action, posted on YouTube earlier in the year.
Human Rights Watch has published a new report, "Deportation by Default," which addresses the particular vulnerabilities of immigrants with mental disabilities who are held in jail-like detention centers for months or even years. These immigrants do not have the right to a lawyer and they are often unable to represent themselves. Justice is denied. As Sarah Mehta, the report's lead author, says, "Someone who doesn't know their own name or what country they're from is going through some of the most complicated legal proceedings in the United States with no right to assistance, even when everyone in the courtroom knows they need it."
One in five New York public school districts is requiring immigration papers in order for a child to enroll in school, even though the Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that all children, regardless of legal status, must be given equal access to public education. This discriminatory requirement discourages families from bringing their children to school, for fear of being deported.
The Feet in Two Worlds blog has posted an excellent story, "Listening to Both Sides in Arizona's Immigration Debate," which interviews two individuals on different sides of the immigration debate. It's an important reminder of this basic lesson: Listening to one another helps establish trust, which counters the fear that too often drives the conversation on immigration issues.
The TransAfrica Forum has released a new report assessing the conditions in Haiti, now six months after the devastating earthquake. The displacement camps continue to face "atrocious" conditions, with issues such as flooding, gender-based violence, disease, and access to food, water, and housing remaining severe. FCNL worked to secure Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the United States, which was granted just after the earthquake.
Monday, February 1, 2010
In Our Community: Immigration News
With the State of the Union and the release of the federal budget, this week has been a busy time for folks in Washington, DC. With that, take a look at the news on immigration from Monday, January 25 to Monday, February 1. Happy reading!
The State of the Union was this past Wednesday and if you stuck around until the end, you heard President Obama put in a brief word on the need to keep working to fix the broken immigration system. Here, Immigration Impact bloggers offer their own interpretation of the speech. In response, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL), the author of the CIR ASAP bill to comprehensively reform the immigration system, wrote a powerful op-ed piece calling on Congress to take action.
Here at FCNL, we're urging you to do your part to advance President Obama's vision by organizing a prayer vigil in your community this February. By standing together in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, we can show that we still believe that immigration reform can't wait. Take a look at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's planning guide to coordinate your own prayer vigil today!
On Monday, January 25, DHS Assistant Secretary John Morton spoke at the Migration Policy Institute about his plans to overhaul the immigration detention system. Morton is working to create a civil detention system that would replace the jail-like model that currently detains over 30,000 immigrants a day. While we welcome the administration's commitment to reform, we urge Assistant Secretary Morton and his team to work diligently to determine who really needs to be held in detention facilities and who can be released.
As Victoria Lopez writes in the Arizona Daily Star, the immigration detention system lacks transparency and accountability. Many facilities, like this one in Georgia, are run by private prison corporations, which lack the training and oversight to manage a population of civil immigrant detainees. In Colorado, protestors and our friends with the American Friends Service Committee gather regularly outside the Aurora detention facility.
Detention reforms will become all the more important as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) expands their Secure Communities program throughout the country. This program, which checks fingerprints in local jails against an immigration database, is meant to capture high-level criminals who are in violation of immigration laws. Instead, Secure Communities ends up focusing primarily on nonviolent offenders, who get caught in the net and may then be detained and deported. Nationally, Secure Communities accounts for about 40% of the immigrants held in jail-like detention centers that are known for human rights abuses.
The United States and the international community continue to respond to the disaster in Haiti by providing emergency humanitarian relief. The extreme devastation has left people across the country wondering, What more can we do? An op-ed in the Washington Post opines that the U.S. government should accelerate visa processing for Haitians who have family members in the United States. Many of these visa applicants have been waiting four years or more to reunite with their loved ones.
The State of the Union was this past Wednesday and if you stuck around until the end, you heard President Obama put in a brief word on the need to keep working to fix the broken immigration system. Here, Immigration Impact bloggers offer their own interpretation of the speech. In response, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL), the author of the CIR ASAP bill to comprehensively reform the immigration system, wrote a powerful op-ed piece calling on Congress to take action.
Here at FCNL, we're urging you to do your part to advance President Obama's vision by organizing a prayer vigil in your community this February. By standing together in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, we can show that we still believe that immigration reform can't wait. Take a look at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's planning guide to coordinate your own prayer vigil today!
On Monday, January 25, DHS Assistant Secretary John Morton spoke at the Migration Policy Institute about his plans to overhaul the immigration detention system. Morton is working to create a civil detention system that would replace the jail-like model that currently detains over 30,000 immigrants a day. While we welcome the administration's commitment to reform, we urge Assistant Secretary Morton and his team to work diligently to determine who really needs to be held in detention facilities and who can be released.
As Victoria Lopez writes in the Arizona Daily Star, the immigration detention system lacks transparency and accountability. Many facilities, like this one in Georgia, are run by private prison corporations, which lack the training and oversight to manage a population of civil immigrant detainees. In Colorado, protestors and our friends with the American Friends Service Committee gather regularly outside the Aurora detention facility.
Detention reforms will become all the more important as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) expands their Secure Communities program throughout the country. This program, which checks fingerprints in local jails against an immigration database, is meant to capture high-level criminals who are in violation of immigration laws. Instead, Secure Communities ends up focusing primarily on nonviolent offenders, who get caught in the net and may then be detained and deported. Nationally, Secure Communities accounts for about 40% of the immigrants held in jail-like detention centers that are known for human rights abuses.
The United States and the international community continue to respond to the disaster in Haiti by providing emergency humanitarian relief. The extreme devastation has left people across the country wondering, What more can we do? An op-ed in the Washington Post opines that the U.S. government should accelerate visa processing for Haitians who have family members in the United States. Many of these visa applicants have been waiting four years or more to reunite with their loved ones.
Monday, January 25, 2010
In Our Community: Immigration News
With the State of the Union coming up this Wednesday, people across the country are reflecting on President Obama's first year in office. While health care and the economy are understandably the first issues on everyone's mind, let's not lose sight of the ongoing injustices against our neighbors. Immigrant families' burdens may be less visible, but they are no less significant. With that in mind, here is the news on immigration from Monday, January 18 to Monday, January 25.
Having granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian immigrants on January 15, the Obama administration has now started the registration process. Haitians who are already in the United States can now apply to stay and work here for the next 18 months as Haiti recovers from the earthquake. The U.S. government is also offering humanitarian relief for Haitian orphans who are already in adoption proceedings, allowing them an accelerated path to come to the United States from Haiti.
However, most Haitians are unable to enter the United States. Advocates and certain members of Congress are now urging the Obama administration to allow two groups of Haitians to immigrate: individuals with family members legally in the United States, and children in need of emergency medical care. While it is unlikely that Congress or the Department of Homeland Security will act on these recommendations, the international community continues to provide emergency humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti.
On the state level, undocumented immigrants in Nebraska received an unwelcome surprise -- the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced that around 1,000 pregnant women who are undocumented will no longer receive prenatal services through the federal-state Medicaid program. These individuals will lose their benefits starting in March. At that point, Medicaid in Nebraska will only cover the cost of the delivery and the cost of treating emergency complications of pregnancy for undocumented women.
As for news on the U.S.-Mexico border, the New York Times has just published an article highlighting the damaging effects of the so-called "border war" on Indian reservations. The Tohono O'odham Nation spans the border and has become host to a number of unwelcome visitors, including Border Patrol agents and drug smugglers. Residents report even being afraid to walk in the desert during daylight for fear of running into members of the drug cartel or being caught in the middle of border security operations. The border militarization has caused residents to live in a perpetual state of fear -- as a result, residents recently agreed to create a "virtual fence" along the border, which they had previously been able to cross without disruption.
The immigration detention system continues to play host to a variety of abuses. On Tuesday, ICE agents clad in riot gear forcibly disrupted a detainee hunger strike at the Varick Street detention facility in Manhattan. About 100 immigrant detainees had gone on a hunger strike to protest detention policies and practices. ICE responded with force, using pepper spray on detainees, taking many to solitary confinement cells as punishment, and transferring about 17 to immigration detention centers in other states. This unwarranted use of force against unarmed detainees engaging in nonviolent protest should not be tolerated.
This episode comes on the tail of a recent article in the New York Times revealing that immigration officials have strenuously tried to cover up the broken immigration system -- most shockingly, by covering up the deaths of immigrants held in jail-like detention centers. Rigorous studies have shown that detention alone puts immigrants at higher risk of mental illness. What's more, as NPR reported, most detainees are non-violent yet cannot afford to make bail -- and most immigrant detainees can't even afford a lawyer. The poor standards, lack of oversight and transparency, and tolerance of mistreatment in immigration jails should no longer be treated as business-as-usual.
For those of you concerned about immigrant families being separated because of the broken immigration system, the Immigration Policy Center has put out a new report for you. This short report outlines the key principles for family immigration within the context of comprehensive immigration reform.
Finally, the Center for American Progress reports on a new poll showing that the public still continues to support comprehensive immigration reform. In fact, 87% of respondents supported a path to legal status and eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants, as long as they completed non-punitive requirements like paying taxes and learning English. This kind of legalization program would put an end to today's two-tier society which treats undocumented immigrants as second-class contributors to society.
Having granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian immigrants on January 15, the Obama administration has now started the registration process. Haitians who are already in the United States can now apply to stay and work here for the next 18 months as Haiti recovers from the earthquake. The U.S. government is also offering humanitarian relief for Haitian orphans who are already in adoption proceedings, allowing them an accelerated path to come to the United States from Haiti.
However, most Haitians are unable to enter the United States. Advocates and certain members of Congress are now urging the Obama administration to allow two groups of Haitians to immigrate: individuals with family members legally in the United States, and children in need of emergency medical care. While it is unlikely that Congress or the Department of Homeland Security will act on these recommendations, the international community continues to provide emergency humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti.
On the state level, undocumented immigrants in Nebraska received an unwelcome surprise -- the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced that around 1,000 pregnant women who are undocumented will no longer receive prenatal services through the federal-state Medicaid program. These individuals will lose their benefits starting in March. At that point, Medicaid in Nebraska will only cover the cost of the delivery and the cost of treating emergency complications of pregnancy for undocumented women.
As for news on the U.S.-Mexico border, the New York Times has just published an article highlighting the damaging effects of the so-called "border war" on Indian reservations. The Tohono O'odham Nation spans the border and has become host to a number of unwelcome visitors, including Border Patrol agents and drug smugglers. Residents report even being afraid to walk in the desert during daylight for fear of running into members of the drug cartel or being caught in the middle of border security operations. The border militarization has caused residents to live in a perpetual state of fear -- as a result, residents recently agreed to create a "virtual fence" along the border, which they had previously been able to cross without disruption.
The immigration detention system continues to play host to a variety of abuses. On Tuesday, ICE agents clad in riot gear forcibly disrupted a detainee hunger strike at the Varick Street detention facility in Manhattan. About 100 immigrant detainees had gone on a hunger strike to protest detention policies and practices. ICE responded with force, using pepper spray on detainees, taking many to solitary confinement cells as punishment, and transferring about 17 to immigration detention centers in other states. This unwarranted use of force against unarmed detainees engaging in nonviolent protest should not be tolerated.
This episode comes on the tail of a recent article in the New York Times revealing that immigration officials have strenuously tried to cover up the broken immigration system -- most shockingly, by covering up the deaths of immigrants held in jail-like detention centers. Rigorous studies have shown that detention alone puts immigrants at higher risk of mental illness. What's more, as NPR reported, most detainees are non-violent yet cannot afford to make bail -- and most immigrant detainees can't even afford a lawyer. The poor standards, lack of oversight and transparency, and tolerance of mistreatment in immigration jails should no longer be treated as business-as-usual.
For those of you concerned about immigrant families being separated because of the broken immigration system, the Immigration Policy Center has put out a new report for you. This short report outlines the key principles for family immigration within the context of comprehensive immigration reform.
Finally, the Center for American Progress reports on a new poll showing that the public still continues to support comprehensive immigration reform. In fact, 87% of respondents supported a path to legal status and eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants, as long as they completed non-punitive requirements like paying taxes and learning English. This kind of legalization program would put an end to today's two-tier society which treats undocumented immigrants as second-class contributors to society.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Aftershocks: A Haitian Message of Resilience
I'd like to share with you a beautiful op-ed piece written by Evelyne Trouillot and published today in the New York Times. While her message does not directly address the plight of Haitian immigrants, their future - and ours - are bound together.
THE family has set up camp in my brother’s house. I live just next door, but it makes us feel better to be all in the same house. My brother, a novelist, is writing his articles; I am writing mine. From time to time a tremor will make us pause and run back outside, just in case, to be safe. I wonder how long we will have to be so cautious, and I long for normalcy.
We sleep; we listen to the radio; we exchange information. Mostly, we have been trying to stay alive and sane since that Tuesday afternoon a week ago when the earthquake changed our lives forever. It doesn’t help that the earth continues to convulse. Just this morning, we felt another tremor, the most violent since the earthquake itself. Let us hope it did not cause more deaths and damage.
I do not recognize the streets of Port-au-Prince. In front of what used to be a school, three corpses are covered demurely by a blue sheet. Feet and eyes carefully avoid the small cadavers.
A few miles down, the Sacré-Coeur church, where the upper-middle class used to be baptized, married and buried, is a big pile of rubbish.
Under the broken glass and bricks of the five-story Caribbean Supermarket — which carried the most varied imported products and where foreigners were most likely to meet one another — women, men and children lie trapped, given up for dead. On Monday, rescuers managed to free from the site a young woman who was still alive. That same day, a grief-stricken family identified the body of a 27-year-old mother of a 6-month-old girl, who was not so lucky.
In the evening, the digging for bodies ceases, as does the search for drinking water and food, for news about missing parents and friends. Tired; terrified of the dark and its dreams of tremors, of the morning and its bad news; secretly — or not — relieved to be alive, we try to sleep.
In the background, the few radio stations that can still broadcast convey the messages of agonized families and friends. A father comes all the way from a little village in the south of Haiti looking for his two daughters. Although his voice is breaking, he manages to enunciate their names and please could somebody, anybody tell him if they are alive? The newscaster quickly repeats the message and introduces someone else. There are so many of them, a litany of desperate voices.
Night settles. The stars provide the only light; the electricity has not been restored. We save the energy from our Inverter generator system to run the Internet, so we can stay in contact with friends and family. The telephone lines are unreliable.
But we Haitians are nevertheless connected — regardless of our social conditions, our economic status, our religious beliefs, if only because we share the same uncertainties, the same fears about the monstrous size of the task at hand.
Although the earthquake does remind us of our common and fragile destiny, the fact that the earth trembles and destroys with equal brutality luxurious and shabby houses, small and huge enterprises, does not obscure the inequalities that divide Haiti. Social and economic disparities, the unjust distribution of our resources and the dire poverty of the majority of the population cannot magically evaporate with the dust. But maybe this disaster will constitute a new beginning. Maybe the reconstruction effort that is now so urgent will also work to narrow the gaps between us.
It is with a sense of warmth that I think of all the messages of solidarity I have received from around the world. Like most Haitians, I marvel at the signs of humanity — fund-raisers, simple letters of sympathy, offers of help: “Just tell me what you need!” But it is our government’s responsibility to help those most in need.
I am focusing now on what is essential in life: love and friendship. Like most people here, I am not watching the news. We have limited power, and anyway it seems futile and even absurd to be a spectator of my own life, especially when the TV images highlight only the misery of our country. Many of us Haitians are offended by the coverage of the earthquake. Once more, a natural disaster serves as an occasion to showcase the impoverishment, to exaggerate the scenes of violence that are common to any catastrophe of this type.
No, I am not watching the news. I am too busy trying to find a way to keep my hope alive because the work in front of us is humongous. I am busy rejoicing in the laughter of the children in the camp near our house, smiling at the comical reactions of a passer-by after a recent aftershock. I am busy shedding tears at the news of a miraculous rescue of six students from the wreckage of a university building. I am busy collecting the fragments of life that reflect the enormous courage and resilience among us.
I am busy loving life and my country.
Évelyne Trouillot is a novelist whose short stories have appeared in English in the collection “Words Without Borders.”
Aftershocks
By ÉVELYNE TROUILLOT
By ÉVELYNE TROUILLOT
THE family has set up camp in my brother’s house. I live just next door, but it makes us feel better to be all in the same house. My brother, a novelist, is writing his articles; I am writing mine. From time to time a tremor will make us pause and run back outside, just in case, to be safe. I wonder how long we will have to be so cautious, and I long for normalcy.
We sleep; we listen to the radio; we exchange information. Mostly, we have been trying to stay alive and sane since that Tuesday afternoon a week ago when the earthquake changed our lives forever. It doesn’t help that the earth continues to convulse. Just this morning, we felt another tremor, the most violent since the earthquake itself. Let us hope it did not cause more deaths and damage.
I do not recognize the streets of Port-au-Prince. In front of what used to be a school, three corpses are covered demurely by a blue sheet. Feet and eyes carefully avoid the small cadavers.
A few miles down, the Sacré-Coeur church, where the upper-middle class used to be baptized, married and buried, is a big pile of rubbish.
Under the broken glass and bricks of the five-story Caribbean Supermarket — which carried the most varied imported products and where foreigners were most likely to meet one another — women, men and children lie trapped, given up for dead. On Monday, rescuers managed to free from the site a young woman who was still alive. That same day, a grief-stricken family identified the body of a 27-year-old mother of a 6-month-old girl, who was not so lucky.
In the evening, the digging for bodies ceases, as does the search for drinking water and food, for news about missing parents and friends. Tired; terrified of the dark and its dreams of tremors, of the morning and its bad news; secretly — or not — relieved to be alive, we try to sleep.
In the background, the few radio stations that can still broadcast convey the messages of agonized families and friends. A father comes all the way from a little village in the south of Haiti looking for his two daughters. Although his voice is breaking, he manages to enunciate their names and please could somebody, anybody tell him if they are alive? The newscaster quickly repeats the message and introduces someone else. There are so many of them, a litany of desperate voices.
Night settles. The stars provide the only light; the electricity has not been restored. We save the energy from our Inverter generator system to run the Internet, so we can stay in contact with friends and family. The telephone lines are unreliable.
But we Haitians are nevertheless connected — regardless of our social conditions, our economic status, our religious beliefs, if only because we share the same uncertainties, the same fears about the monstrous size of the task at hand.
Although the earthquake does remind us of our common and fragile destiny, the fact that the earth trembles and destroys with equal brutality luxurious and shabby houses, small and huge enterprises, does not obscure the inequalities that divide Haiti. Social and economic disparities, the unjust distribution of our resources and the dire poverty of the majority of the population cannot magically evaporate with the dust. But maybe this disaster will constitute a new beginning. Maybe the reconstruction effort that is now so urgent will also work to narrow the gaps between us.
It is with a sense of warmth that I think of all the messages of solidarity I have received from around the world. Like most Haitians, I marvel at the signs of humanity — fund-raisers, simple letters of sympathy, offers of help: “Just tell me what you need!” But it is our government’s responsibility to help those most in need.
I am focusing now on what is essential in life: love and friendship. Like most people here, I am not watching the news. We have limited power, and anyway it seems futile and even absurd to be a spectator of my own life, especially when the TV images highlight only the misery of our country. Many of us Haitians are offended by the coverage of the earthquake. Once more, a natural disaster serves as an occasion to showcase the impoverishment, to exaggerate the scenes of violence that are common to any catastrophe of this type.
No, I am not watching the news. I am too busy trying to find a way to keep my hope alive because the work in front of us is humongous. I am busy rejoicing in the laughter of the children in the camp near our house, smiling at the comical reactions of a passer-by after a recent aftershock. I am busy shedding tears at the news of a miraculous rescue of six students from the wreckage of a university building. I am busy collecting the fragments of life that reflect the enormous courage and resilience among us.
I am busy loving life and my country.
Évelyne Trouillot is a novelist whose short stories have appeared in English in the collection “Words Without Borders.”
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thank You for Lobbying to Protect Haitian Immigrants
FCNL would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who participated in last week's action alert to stop the deportation of Haitian immigrants. On the evening of Friday, January 15, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be granted to Haitian immigrants for the next 18 months, while Haiti recovers from the earthquake. This success may seem small, in light of the challenges still facing Haiti, but it is still extremely important.
Your successful lobbying efforts have helped to protect tens of thousands of Haitians in the United States from being returned to an unsafe situation in Haiti. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that between 100,000 and 200,000 Haitian immigrants are eligible for TPS, about 30,000 of whom are currently scheduled for deportation. TPS will allow these immigrants to stay and work in the United States for now.
In this way, Haitian immigrants will be empowered to contribute directly to the country's recovery. As they receive their work permits through TPS, they will be able to send their earnings back to support their families and communities in Haiti. Even before this crisis, the Haitian economy relied significantly on remittances. Now, the need for remittances is even greater and TPS will help to meet that need.
Thousands of Haitians still lack access to basic necessities like food, water, and shelter. Displaced people need to be protected, families need to be reunited, and broken infrastructure needs to be restored. As the international community seeks to supply aid, Haiti faces the threat of an impending public health disaster. For Haiti to successfully recover from this devastating crisis, the country will require not only short-term relief work or an international military presence, but an international commitment to sustainable long-term development.
For Haiti to become less vulnerable to natural disasters, the U.S. government and international aid organizations will need to coordinate their efforts with the Haitian government and Haitian nonprofit organizations. Haiti has the potential to emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient, but only if today's efforts focus on strengthening Haitian institutions, infrastructure, and expertise.
We encourage you to hold the people of Haiti in your hearts and minds, even after the news cameras leave. For more information on TPS, please see the interfaith letter of support that FCNL coordinated last week. To keep up with our work on immigration, please visit our website, read our immigration blog, and email me (at rebecca@fcnl.org) to sign up for regular updates to learn about how you can get more involved in promoting immigration reform.
Your successful lobbying efforts have helped to protect tens of thousands of Haitians in the United States from being returned to an unsafe situation in Haiti. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that between 100,000 and 200,000 Haitian immigrants are eligible for TPS, about 30,000 of whom are currently scheduled for deportation. TPS will allow these immigrants to stay and work in the United States for now.
In this way, Haitian immigrants will be empowered to contribute directly to the country's recovery. As they receive their work permits through TPS, they will be able to send their earnings back to support their families and communities in Haiti. Even before this crisis, the Haitian economy relied significantly on remittances. Now, the need for remittances is even greater and TPS will help to meet that need.
Thousands of Haitians still lack access to basic necessities like food, water, and shelter. Displaced people need to be protected, families need to be reunited, and broken infrastructure needs to be restored. As the international community seeks to supply aid, Haiti faces the threat of an impending public health disaster. For Haiti to successfully recover from this devastating crisis, the country will require not only short-term relief work or an international military presence, but an international commitment to sustainable long-term development.
For Haiti to become less vulnerable to natural disasters, the U.S. government and international aid organizations will need to coordinate their efforts with the Haitian government and Haitian nonprofit organizations. Haiti has the potential to emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient, but only if today's efforts focus on strengthening Haitian institutions, infrastructure, and expertise.
We encourage you to hold the people of Haiti in your hearts and minds, even after the news cameras leave. For more information on TPS, please see the interfaith letter of support that FCNL coordinated last week. To keep up with our work on immigration, please visit our website, read our immigration blog, and email me (at rebecca@fcnl.org) to sign up for regular updates to learn about how you can get more involved in promoting immigration reform.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
In Our Community: Immigration News
As Martin Luther King Day reminds us all of Dr. King's call for equality and justice, our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Haiti as they strive to recover from last week's earthquake. Here is the news on immigration from Monday, January 11 to Monday, January 18.
On Friday, January 15, the Obama administration granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States. Thank you to everyone who participated in FCNL's action alert and signed FCNL's interfaith letter of support for TPS. Because of your actions, Haitian immigrants will not be deported and will instead be allowed to stay in the United States and work here for at least 18 months while Haiti stabilizes from Tuesday's devastating earthquake.
The Haitian economy depends significantly on remittances. TPS will enable Haitian immigrants to contribute to the country's recovery by sending their earnings to support their families and communities in Haiti. However, Haiti still has a long way to go, and the recovery will involve not only short-term relief work or U.S. military presence, but an international commitment to long-term development.
The Department of Homeland Security also instituted a humanitarian parole policy for certain Haitian orphans. This policy will allow certain orphans to temporarily enter the United States to receive medical care. While individuals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the only eligible orphans are those in the process of being adopted by U.S. citizens.
While this is another small but welcome step, it stands in stark contrast to the broader message that the U.S. government is sending to the people of Haiti, which is: Don't try to come to the United States. Every day, a U.S. Air Force cargo plane has been flying over Haiti for five hours transmitting this message from Haiti's ambassador in Washington. Officials say they fear that Haitians will take to boats and cause a refugee crisis in Florida. However, with fuel prices in Haiti rising to astronomical levels and all efforts desperately needed for aid distribution, these daily five-hour flights are not the best use of U.S. personnel and resources at this critical time.
In other news, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that it will close the Varick St detention center in Manhattan and transfer immigrant detainees to another facility with outdoor recreation and visitation services. The agency is portraying this move as part of its broader overhaul of the U.S. immigration detention system. However, immigration attorneys and activists have significant concerns. Detainees will be moved to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, a county jail an hour away from Manhattan. These transfers will make it much more challenging for families and lawyers to visit detainees. In addition, attorneys and activists have recently drawn attention to misconduct and poor conditions at Varick St. Instead of fixing these problems, the administration has decided to transfer the detainees to a more remote location. Constant transfers and an ongoing reliance on county jails are no substitute for case-by-case reviews of whether immigrants need to be detained in the first place.
Finally, I'll leave you with a brief update on comprehensive immigration reform. On Friday, Politico ran an article describing how legislation on immigration and climate change are competing for space this spring. Senator Schumer (NY), who is writing a bipartisan bill on immigration reform, and Senator Kerry (MA), who is the lead negotiator on climate change, are both trying to push forward their issues. Both are in conversation with Senator Graham (SC) to try to gain his support. While both of these issues are hard to take up in an election year, the immigration advocacy community continues to insist that the time of waiting is over -- the immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed so that immigrants can live with dignity.
On Friday, January 15, the Obama administration granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States. Thank you to everyone who participated in FCNL's action alert and signed FCNL's interfaith letter of support for TPS. Because of your actions, Haitian immigrants will not be deported and will instead be allowed to stay in the United States and work here for at least 18 months while Haiti stabilizes from Tuesday's devastating earthquake.
The Haitian economy depends significantly on remittances. TPS will enable Haitian immigrants to contribute to the country's recovery by sending their earnings to support their families and communities in Haiti. However, Haiti still has a long way to go, and the recovery will involve not only short-term relief work or U.S. military presence, but an international commitment to long-term development.
The Department of Homeland Security also instituted a humanitarian parole policy for certain Haitian orphans. This policy will allow certain orphans to temporarily enter the United States to receive medical care. While individuals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the only eligible orphans are those in the process of being adopted by U.S. citizens.
While this is another small but welcome step, it stands in stark contrast to the broader message that the U.S. government is sending to the people of Haiti, which is: Don't try to come to the United States. Every day, a U.S. Air Force cargo plane has been flying over Haiti for five hours transmitting this message from Haiti's ambassador in Washington. Officials say they fear that Haitians will take to boats and cause a refugee crisis in Florida. However, with fuel prices in Haiti rising to astronomical levels and all efforts desperately needed for aid distribution, these daily five-hour flights are not the best use of U.S. personnel and resources at this critical time.
In other news, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that it will close the Varick St detention center in Manhattan and transfer immigrant detainees to another facility with outdoor recreation and visitation services. The agency is portraying this move as part of its broader overhaul of the U.S. immigration detention system. However, immigration attorneys and activists have significant concerns. Detainees will be moved to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, a county jail an hour away from Manhattan. These transfers will make it much more challenging for families and lawyers to visit detainees. In addition, attorneys and activists have recently drawn attention to misconduct and poor conditions at Varick St. Instead of fixing these problems, the administration has decided to transfer the detainees to a more remote location. Constant transfers and an ongoing reliance on county jails are no substitute for case-by-case reviews of whether immigrants need to be detained in the first place.
Finally, I'll leave you with a brief update on comprehensive immigration reform. On Friday, Politico ran an article describing how legislation on immigration and climate change are competing for space this spring. Senator Schumer (NY), who is writing a bipartisan bill on immigration reform, and Senator Kerry (MA), who is the lead negotiator on climate change, are both trying to push forward their issues. Both are in conversation with Senator Graham (SC) to try to gain his support. While both of these issues are hard to take up in an election year, the immigration advocacy community continues to insist that the time of waiting is over -- the immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed so that immigrants can live with dignity.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Wonderful News! U.S. Grants Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in United States
Wonderful news! Just a few moments ago, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Haiti has been designated for Temporary Protected Status! Haitians already in the United States will be able to stay and work in this country while Haiti recovers from Tuesday's devastating earthquake.
We don't have an official press release yet, but the Washington Post announced the following:
The Obama administration announced Friday that it will allow an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians living in the United States illegally to stay and work in the country for 18 months as part of its response to Tuesday's earthquake, but warned Haitians that leaving the country now "will only bring more hardship to the Haitian people and nation."
Today, FCNL, working with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, submitted an interfaith letter to President Obama and Secretary Napolitano urging the administration to immediately grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in the United States. We are thrilled to learn that the administration has done so and we hope that every effort will be made to streamline the registration process for Haitian immigrants as they apply for TPS.
We don't have an official press release yet, but the Washington Post announced the following:
The Obama administration announced Friday that it will allow an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians living in the United States illegally to stay and work in the country for 18 months as part of its response to Tuesday's earthquake, but warned Haitians that leaving the country now "will only bring more hardship to the Haitian people and nation."
Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the decision to grant Temporary Protected Status to illegal immigrants from Haiti who were living in the United States as of January 12 was a gesture of compassion and an attempt to ensure that the flow of remittances and economic support to their devastated homeland continue.
"This is a disaster of historic proportions," Napolitano said in a 5 p.m. conference call, "Providing a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals who are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be ended by returning to Haiti as part of this administration continue effort to support Haiti's recovery."
However, Napolitano coupled that message with a caution to Haitians now seeking refuge outside their country. While she declined to specify the consequences for those caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally, she said, "At this moment of tragedy in Haiti, it is tempting for people suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake to seek refuge elsewhere, but attempting to leave Haiti now will only bring more hardship to the Haitian people and nation."Today, FCNL, working with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, submitted an interfaith letter to President Obama and Secretary Napolitano urging the administration to immediately grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in the United States. We are thrilled to learn that the administration has done so and we hope that every effort will be made to streamline the registration process for Haitian immigrants as they apply for TPS.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Update on Haiti: ICE Halts Deportations of Haitians For Now, TPS Still Not Granted
The United States and the international community continue to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that struck on Tuesday evening. As a complement to the comprehensive relief and development efforts, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has announced that it will temporarily halt all deportations to Haiti. While this announcement comes as welcome news, it does not mean that the Obama administration has granted Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants.
By granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States, the U.S. government would not only halt all deportations of Haitians from the United States to Haiti, but would also allow Haitian immigrants to obtain work permits. TPS would enable Haitian immigrants to better support their families and communities as they anxiously wait for the situation in Haiti to stabilize.
TPS is a temporary immigration status that does not allow its recipients to remain in the United States permanently. Rather, it protects people who cannot safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflicts, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary circumstances. For more on TPS, see the USCIS website. There are currently 30,000 Haitians in the United States facing deportation to Haiti, who would immediately benefit from TPS.
In order to protect Haitians already in the United States and allow the Haitian government to focus its limited resources on providing emergency care to its suffering people, the Obama administration should act immediately to grant TPS to Haitians. Contact President Obama to urge the U.S. government to immediately grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants.
By granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States, the U.S. government would not only halt all deportations of Haitians from the United States to Haiti, but would also allow Haitian immigrants to obtain work permits. TPS would enable Haitian immigrants to better support their families and communities as they anxiously wait for the situation in Haiti to stabilize.
TPS is a temporary immigration status that does not allow its recipients to remain in the United States permanently. Rather, it protects people who cannot safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflicts, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary circumstances. For more on TPS, see the USCIS website. There are currently 30,000 Haitians in the United States facing deportation to Haiti, who would immediately benefit from TPS.
In order to protect Haitians already in the United States and allow the Haitian government to focus its limited resources on providing emergency care to its suffering people, the Obama administration should act immediately to grant TPS to Haitians. Contact President Obama to urge the U.S. government to immediately grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Take Action on Haiti: Stop Deportations
The United States and the world community are mobilizing to respond to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday. That quake reportedly has killed upwards of 100,000 people and destroyed large parts of the country. All of us will be looking for ways to support those organizations working on the ground in Haiti to respond to this tragedy. Work in Haiti will not be enough, though.
Here in the United States, the administration should also immediately act to halt its deportation of Haitians, release those Haitians currently in detention centers, and give them a way to survive temporarily in this country. The administration can do this by granting Haitians in this country Temporary Protected Status, which would halt deportations and permit Haitians already in the United States to live and work here.
Because of the economic crisis in Haiti, FCNL has been lobbying for nearly a year for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians here in the United States. Now the need is even more urgent.
Take Action
Please send a letter to President Obama and send copies to your representative urging the U.S. government to immediately act to grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants. Encourage three friends to take action as well.
More Resources
Find out more and see updates here, on our immigration blog.
FCNL's Program Assistant Stephen Donahoe has posted links to groups providing on-the-ground assistance to people in Haiti.
Here in the United States, the administration should also immediately act to halt its deportation of Haitians, release those Haitians currently in detention centers, and give them a way to survive temporarily in this country. The administration can do this by granting Haitians in this country Temporary Protected Status, which would halt deportations and permit Haitians already in the United States to live and work here.
Because of the economic crisis in Haiti, FCNL has been lobbying for nearly a year for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians here in the United States. Now the need is even more urgent.
Take Action
Please send a letter to President Obama and send copies to your representative urging the U.S. government to immediately act to grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants. Encourage three friends to take action as well.
More Resources
Find out more and see updates here, on our immigration blog.
FCNL's Program Assistant Stephen Donahoe has posted links to groups providing on-the-ground assistance to people in Haiti.
Devastating Quake Strikes Haiti, Time To Grant Haitians Temporary Protected Status
There is no better time than now for the Obama administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States. On Tuesday just before 5 pm, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, leaving thousands dead and many more without basic resources. The epicenter of the earthquake was only 10 miles from the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, where buildings and shantytowns collapsed and the ground continues to shake from aftershocks. An estimated 3 million people are in need of relief, yet international relief efforts are hampered by blocked roads, a lack of electricity, and damage to communications infrastructure.
Now is not the time to deport Haitians from the United States.
Haiti, which had recently suffered the blows of four hurricanes and was still working to rebuild from those storms, has not seen an earthquake of this magnitude in two hundred years. As international aid flows in, the country will begin efforts to stabilize from this environmental disaster and provide basic support to its population. Deporting Haitians from the United States now would only deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The Obama administration should act swiftly to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, which would halt deportations and permit Haitians already in the United States to live and work here as Haiti responds to this devastating earthquake. Granting TPS would allow the Haitian government to invest its limited resources into rebuilding damaged infrastructure and offering emergency relief to its suffering people.
FCNL has been advocating for nearly a year for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, as part of our ongoing efforts to fix the broken immigration system. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 would allow Haitians, along with other undocumented immigrants, to step out of the shadows and legalize their status. Humane immigration reform would enable Haitians in the United States to better support their families and communities in this time of need.
Now is not the time to deport Haitians from the United States.
Haiti, which had recently suffered the blows of four hurricanes and was still working to rebuild from those storms, has not seen an earthquake of this magnitude in two hundred years. As international aid flows in, the country will begin efforts to stabilize from this environmental disaster and provide basic support to its population. Deporting Haitians from the United States now would only deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The Obama administration should act swiftly to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, which would halt deportations and permit Haitians already in the United States to live and work here as Haiti responds to this devastating earthquake. Granting TPS would allow the Haitian government to invest its limited resources into rebuilding damaged infrastructure and offering emergency relief to its suffering people.
FCNL has been advocating for nearly a year for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, as part of our ongoing efforts to fix the broken immigration system. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 would allow Haitians, along with other undocumented immigrants, to step out of the shadows and legalize their status. Humane immigration reform would enable Haitians in the United States to better support their families and communities in this time of need.
Monday, September 14, 2009
In Our Community: Immigration News
Here are highlights of the news on immigration from Tuesday, September 8 to Monday, September 14. Enjoy!
If you read only one article on immigration from this week, read the story of Xiu Ping Jiang, a Chinese immigrant with a history of mental illness who was detained in solitary confinement, without representation by a lawyer, for a year and a half. Ms. Jiang fled China in 1995 after being forcibly sterilized. She was detained despite having no criminal record. Her hardship, as the article mentions, could have been avoided if immigration courts had the same standard protections for persons with mental disabilities as all other courts. As it stands today, there is no procedure for establishing mental competence in immigration cases, and the courts are not required to provide persons with mental disabilities with legal representation. For immigrants in detention, the experience of being detained can itself be traumatic. For those who already face mental health issues and receive little or no treatment in detention, the experience can be devastating. Read this letter asking Attorney General Holder to provide protections in immigration courts for individuals with mental disabilities.
A New York Times article on Mustafa Salih's plight puts a human face on the bureaucratic backlog which causes many immigrants to wade through the legalization process for years before gaining citizenship. As the article reports, Salih immigrated to the U.S. in 1991, became a legal permanent resident four years later in 1995, and has been waiting since then to become a citizen. He and 150 of his peers who belong to the same mosque in Falls Church, VA, are in a sort of bureaucratic limbo in which it is unclear why they have not yet been granted citizenship. The article raises questions as to whether this bureaucratic backlog unfairly prolongs the wait time for Muslim applicants, many of whom have been told that they must wait indefinitely until an unspecified "background check" has been completed. To date, Salih has waited eighteen years to become a U.S. citizen.
In the aftermath of the May 2008 raid in Postville, IA, in which 389 workers were arrested and detained, and eventually deported, a Jewish organization in Postville seeks to move forward. The organization has crafted a postcard to be sent to the meatpacking plant at which the raid took place. The message: to improve working conditions, communications, and consumer confidence in the coming year.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the Haiti Action Committee are calling for support in their quest for Haitians to receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States. TPS is a temporary provision that would permit Haitians to remain in the United States for a limited time as their country rebuilds from the 2008 hurricanes that devastated its communities, infrastructure, and economy. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti would only be aggravated by the deportation of Haitians currently residing in the United States.
In terms of legislative updates, we have some new cosponsors on board! Senator Al Franken (MN) and Representative Laura Richardson (CA) have signed on as cosponsors for the Uniting American Families Act (S. 424, H.R. 1024). Representatives Steve Cohen (TN), Edolphus Towns (NY), Bobby Scott (VA), George Miller (CA), and John Lewis (GA) have each signed on as cosponsors for the Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 2709). Even though health care reform will be the primary issue addressed in Congress this week, support for components of comprehensive immigration reform is building.
Will Coley and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center have put together a series of short documentaries on the challenges and successes for immigrants seeking to learn English. In this video, volunteer teachers speak about their passion for teaching English as a second language and their respect for the determination that they see in their students. The primary value of this video, as I see it, is its ability to demonstrate how learning English does not have to be a one-way assimilation tactic. Instead, it can be a rich cultural exchange that benefits both teachers and students alike. As one of the volunteer teachers in the video says of her students, "I value you, who you are, and what you have to teach me, and I think it can only lead to better things."
If you read only one article on immigration from this week, read the story of Xiu Ping Jiang, a Chinese immigrant with a history of mental illness who was detained in solitary confinement, without representation by a lawyer, for a year and a half. Ms. Jiang fled China in 1995 after being forcibly sterilized. She was detained despite having no criminal record. Her hardship, as the article mentions, could have been avoided if immigration courts had the same standard protections for persons with mental disabilities as all other courts. As it stands today, there is no procedure for establishing mental competence in immigration cases, and the courts are not required to provide persons with mental disabilities with legal representation. For immigrants in detention, the experience of being detained can itself be traumatic. For those who already face mental health issues and receive little or no treatment in detention, the experience can be devastating. Read this letter asking Attorney General Holder to provide protections in immigration courts for individuals with mental disabilities.
A New York Times article on Mustafa Salih's plight puts a human face on the bureaucratic backlog which causes many immigrants to wade through the legalization process for years before gaining citizenship. As the article reports, Salih immigrated to the U.S. in 1991, became a legal permanent resident four years later in 1995, and has been waiting since then to become a citizen. He and 150 of his peers who belong to the same mosque in Falls Church, VA, are in a sort of bureaucratic limbo in which it is unclear why they have not yet been granted citizenship. The article raises questions as to whether this bureaucratic backlog unfairly prolongs the wait time for Muslim applicants, many of whom have been told that they must wait indefinitely until an unspecified "background check" has been completed. To date, Salih has waited eighteen years to become a U.S. citizen.
In the aftermath of the May 2008 raid in Postville, IA, in which 389 workers were arrested and detained, and eventually deported, a Jewish organization in Postville seeks to move forward. The organization has crafted a postcard to be sent to the meatpacking plant at which the raid took place. The message: to improve working conditions, communications, and consumer confidence in the coming year.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the Haiti Action Committee are calling for support in their quest for Haitians to receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States. TPS is a temporary provision that would permit Haitians to remain in the United States for a limited time as their country rebuilds from the 2008 hurricanes that devastated its communities, infrastructure, and economy. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti would only be aggravated by the deportation of Haitians currently residing in the United States.
In terms of legislative updates, we have some new cosponsors on board! Senator Al Franken (MN) and Representative Laura Richardson (CA) have signed on as cosponsors for the Uniting American Families Act (S. 424, H.R. 1024). Representatives Steve Cohen (TN), Edolphus Towns (NY), Bobby Scott (VA), George Miller (CA), and John Lewis (GA) have each signed on as cosponsors for the Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 2709). Even though health care reform will be the primary issue addressed in Congress this week, support for components of comprehensive immigration reform is building.
Will Coley and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center have put together a series of short documentaries on the challenges and successes for immigrants seeking to learn English. In this video, volunteer teachers speak about their passion for teaching English as a second language and their respect for the determination that they see in their students. The primary value of this video, as I see it, is its ability to demonstrate how learning English does not have to be a one-way assimilation tactic. Instead, it can be a rich cultural exchange that benefits both teachers and students alike. As one of the volunteer teachers in the video says of her students, "I value you, who you are, and what you have to teach me, and I think it can only lead to better things."
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Urgent Action Needed for Haitians
Earlier today, someone left the following comment here on the blog:
"As a Quaker living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, I ask that FCNL give particular attention to the request that the 30,000 Haitians now under final deportation order from the US be granted Temporary Protected Status. They qualify for this status as their nation is under the protective care of the UN peacekeepers and they suffered drastic damage to their crops last year and are now facing famine. President Preval of Haiti has asked for this measure. Can Friends stand with the people of Haiti in this troubled period?"
I couldn't agree with this comment more. FCNL doesn't work much on refugee issues because there is a large, coordinated coalition of providers here in DC that does excellent work on the issue.
But the case of Haitians is one that needs urgent attention. As the article that I posted last week points out, deadly mudslides, hurricanes, and famine propelled the president of Haiti to request Temporary Protected Status for the 30,000 undocumented Haitians living in the United States that are scheduled for deportation. The idea of such relief is that it would give Haiti time to rebuild its communities and infrastructure before placing 30,000 jobless and homeless people in its midst.
Deportations were halted briefly last September while President Bush reviewed President Preval's request, but were resumed again in December when the request was denied.
Now, the situation is more dire than ever. These deportations are separating families that have been living in the United States for over 15 years. Meanwhile, the situation in Haiti has worsened so much that the Coast Guard has intercepted hundreds of Haitians trying to escape Haiti and come to the United States.
President Obama and Secretary Napolitano need to take action and stop deportations to Haiti. This is a matter of human rights.
Here is what I'm hearing should be done from my colleagues in the DC refugee rights coalition:
"As a Quaker living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, I ask that FCNL give particular attention to the request that the 30,000 Haitians now under final deportation order from the US be granted Temporary Protected Status. They qualify for this status as their nation is under the protective care of the UN peacekeepers and they suffered drastic damage to their crops last year and are now facing famine. President Preval of Haiti has asked for this measure. Can Friends stand with the people of Haiti in this troubled period?"
I couldn't agree with this comment more. FCNL doesn't work much on refugee issues because there is a large, coordinated coalition of providers here in DC that does excellent work on the issue.
But the case of Haitians is one that needs urgent attention. As the article that I posted last week points out, deadly mudslides, hurricanes, and famine propelled the president of Haiti to request Temporary Protected Status for the 30,000 undocumented Haitians living in the United States that are scheduled for deportation. The idea of such relief is that it would give Haiti time to rebuild its communities and infrastructure before placing 30,000 jobless and homeless people in its midst.
Deportations were halted briefly last September while President Bush reviewed President Preval's request, but were resumed again in December when the request was denied.
Now, the situation is more dire than ever. These deportations are separating families that have been living in the United States for over 15 years. Meanwhile, the situation in Haiti has worsened so much that the Coast Guard has intercepted hundreds of Haitians trying to escape Haiti and come to the United States.
President Obama and Secretary Napolitano need to take action and stop deportations to Haiti. This is a matter of human rights.
Here is what I'm hearing should be done from my colleagues in the DC refugee rights coalition:
DHS Secretary Napolitano is meeting with South Florida Members of Congress today (early afternoon) to discuss policy toward Haitians. We’ve been told DHS and the White House need to hear from more of us. So we are asking people to call DHS and the White House to demand an end to deportations to
Ø Leave a message on the DHS public comment line at (202)-282-8495
Ø Leave a message on the White House public comment line (202) 456-1111
Here are some suggested talking points. Please improvise and use your own words:
“My name is ______ from __(your organization)___. I’m calling to ask that you immediately stop deportations to
· This is a matter of life and death.
· Continuing the discriminatory treatment of Haitians has no place in the new Administration.
· Haitians deserve and more than qualify for Temporary Protected Status.
· Show your leadership. Do the right thing and stop the deportations now.”
We are happy to share additional background materials if it is helpful to you. Thank you for making these calls, and for all that you already do!
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