Brooklyn Trial Pits Trump Against 50,000 Haitians Facing Deportation
Brooklyn Trial Pits Trump Against 50K Haitians Facing Deportation
A Brooklyn Federal Court ruling could prevent 50,000 Haitian immigrants from being forcibly deported under a contentious Trump policy.
By Kathleen Culliton, Patch Staff | Jan 7, 2019 3:48 pm ET | Updated Jan 7, 2019 3:54 pm ET
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A Trump administration policy that would forcibly deport 50,000 Haitian immigrants will be fought in a Brooklyn courtroom this week.
The case Saget et al v. Trump — which will pit immigration advocates against President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security and the recent termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants — opened in Brooklyn Federal Court on Monday.
"I don't know what I will do if I am forced to return to Haiti," said Gerald Michaud, one of nine plaintiffs named in the case. "I know that many others are in the same position as me."
Attorneys plan to argue racial prejudice motivated the Trump administration's plans to end temporary protected status for immigrants from Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and El Salvador and are therefore unlawful.
DHS officials have argued life-threatening conditions to flee no longer exist in the countries named in the termination, but a California federal judge who temporarily blocked the policy said it posed "serious questions as to whether a discriminatory purpose was a motivating factor," the Washington Post reported in October.
The judge cited President Trump's statements that Haitians "all have AIDS" and live in a "s---hole" country, both of which are expected to be examined in Brooklyn Federal Court.
The Brooklyn case, the first trial challenging the government's unlawful termination of Temporary Protected Status in the United States, will also include expert testimony on conditions in Haiti and what impact forced assimilation would have.
"This would destabilize the country, and would also have vast negative consequences on the economies of communities in Miami, New York and Boston," said Alison Hirsh, Vice President of the local Service Employees International Union branch.
"The decision to terminate TPS must be reversed, and the new Congress must approve a legislative long term solution for Haitians and hundreds of thousands of TPS holders."
Several New York City public officials, several of whom are of Haitian descent, have come out in support of the plaintiffs and against the Trump administration's policy.
"We want to send a clear message that the Trump administration's attempt to rescind the protected status of TPS beneficiaries is malicious," said Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, the first person of Haitian descent elected to the New York State Legislature.
"This President has put more than 50,000 Haitians seeking refuge in this country in imminent danger," said Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. "We must not let up in the fight for justice, fairness, and equity. This decision must be reversed."
Saget et al v. Trump is one of five lawsuits to challenge the separation of TPS holders and their families.
https://patch.com/new-york/brooklyn/...ng-deportation
