Thread: Lawmakers push special status for Haitians

Lawmakers push special status for Haitians
Posted on Tue, Sep. 23, 2008reprint print email

BY TRENTON DANIEL
tdaniel@MiamiHerald.com

AFP-GETTY IMAGES FILE
U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings calls granting Haitians Temporary Protected Status 'imperative.'
How to help hurricane victims
With Haiti taking a vicious blow this hurricane season by back-to-back storms, Congressional leaders Tuesday urged authorities to grant temporary protected status for undocumented Haitians living in the United States.

''It is now more imperative than ever that the United States grant Haitian immigrants Temporary Protected Status,'' U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings said before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

''TPS is the least expensive, most immediate form of humanitarian assistance we can provide Haiti,'' Hastings said at the morning session broadcast live on the Internet. ``It allows the Haitian government to invest all of its limited resources in rebuilding and redevelopment.''

Congressional leaders also called for $300 million in disaster assistance to help with recovery efforts in a country struck by four storms that killed more than 300 people. Haiti began three days of official mourning on Monday. If implemented, TPS allows undocumented residents to stay temporarily and obtain work permits. Activists argue that TPS would enable residents to work here and then send money to relatives back in Haiti.

Last week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement temporarily suspended deportations to Haiti until further notice. But the suspension applies only to those in custody who are awaiting deportation. It does not provide any benefits for those in the country illegally.

Officials have said they are reviewing conditions on the ground on a day-to-day basis to determine when deportations might resume.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-d ... 97960.html

First the Salvadorans now the Haitians. They are on a role.

Why don't these people--and their liberal constituents--get off their silly a---s and go and do something over there instead of playing around with our immigration system. There are plenty of organizations they could volunteer with.

"grant Haitian immigrants Temporary Protected Status"

That's great we have lots of free money! Put them up in Washington DC so they are NOT forgotten.
How about expiration dates on those status documents. Then we have ICE go escort them home. We already have visa people that are not respecting the expiration date!

''It is now more imperative than ever that the United States grant Haitian immigrants Temporary Protected Status,'' U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings said before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It never ends does it! Never....

Yes I feel bad for the Haitians about all the hurricanes that have hit them but the TPS is stupid. So many of them are already here working on farms, and producing anchor babies. Haiti probably has the worst government in the entire Caribbean. (Even Mexico's economy is a lot better.)
Amazing that we end up with the poorest, most uneducated refugees under the guise of humanitarianism.

Actually Haiti is facing a different problem Haitians here are on average high school graduates a minority of Haitians and 85% of college educated Haitians live abroad. Immigration has been a cream skimming operation. The argument for TPS for Haitians is as good as it was for the Central Americans but the best solution for them would be for the United States to do infrastructure improvement. The inter republic highway is only two lanes wide and the country would be assisted by the lengthening of the Cap Haitien and Aux Cayes airports. A program to help finance construction of terraces would alkso be good.

Allowing illegal aliens to remain with conditions as lax as those under Temporary Protected Status has a tendency to induce additional illegal immigration. With no obligation to do other wise their remittances go to store bought processed packaged food and ready to wear clothing. The Haitians could be making those items themselves. There is a need to target immigrant remittances toward the acquisition of productive assets. There need to be farm improvements like terracing and the construction of barns and silos. Immigrant are often sending money for the construction of modern American style houses when their first project should be production equipment, storage and factory shells.

Last week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement temporarily suspended deportations to Haiti until further notice. But the suspension applies only to those in custody who are awaiting deportation.

Assuming the illegal aliens remain in custody, I have no problem with that. However, TPS for those here illegally is out of the question because TPS is virtually the same thing as amnesty (IMO)!

Originally Posted by Gogo

First the Salvadorans now the Haitians. They are on a role.

First the Cubans with the wet foot/dry foot.
Hondurans/Nicaraguans due to Hurricane Mitch.
Salvadorans due to Earthquake.

Now Haitians and who knows who else is going to join in??
As for the Cubans they should be making their way through Mexico after hurricane season and is over, show up at the border and a few weeks later a green card and welfare.

Originally Posted by feduphispanic

Originally Posted by Gogo

First the Salvadorans now the Haitians. They are on a role.

First the Cubans with the wet foot/dry foot.
Hondurans/Nicaraguans due to Hurricane Mitch.
Salvadorans due to Earthquake.

Now Haitians and who knows who else is going to join in??
As for the Cubans they should be making their way through Mexico after hurricane season and is over, show up at the border and a few weeks later a green card and welfare.

Isn't there a couple thousand Iraqi coming soon?