Thread: U.S. Official Will Visit Miami to Help Expedite TPS Filings

Not only are these people going to be given U.S. work permits, now advocate groups are agitating to have the U.S. government waive their fees for these!

Wednesday, 01.20.10

MIAMI | IMMIGRATION

U.S. official will visit Miami to help expedite TPS filings

The head of the federal agency that will process thousands of immigration applications from undocumented Haitian immigrants will travel to Miami and meet with organizations assisting Haitians.

Federal immigration officials are expecting up to 200,000 undocumented Haitian immigrants, including nearly 68,000 in South Florida, to apply for a new federal immigration program that would allow the migrants to legally remain and work in the United States for 18 months.

The estimated number of potential applicants for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is far larger than earlier predictions of about 30,000 Haitians nationwide, according to local immigrant organizations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials.

The higher figures emerged Wednesday during a briefing with reporters by USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. He was in Miami to meet with several South Florida immigrant aid organizations involved in assisting undocumented Haitian immigrants applying for TPS.

•Top federal official will visit Miami to help groups handling TPS filings
Top federal official will visit Miami to help groups handling TPS filings
A top federal immigration official will visit Miami Wednesday to meet with South Florida immigrant aid organizations involved in assisting undocumented Haitian immigrants apply for an immigration program that would allow the migrants to legally remain in the United States.

Alejandro Mayorkas, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will be briefing the organizations on the application process for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, an immigration benefit approved last week to help Haiti in its earthquake recovery efforts.

Mayorkas' visit is a clear sign that the Obama administration sees South Florida as a focal point in responding to a potential influx of Haitian migrants following the massive earthquake that has so far left an estimated 200,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless.

•Catholic Legal Services help hundreds of Haitians with immigration papers
Catholic Legal Services help hundreds of Haitians with immigration papers
Hundreds of undocumented Haitian immigrants crowded inside Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church on Monday morning for help in filing applications for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, a federal immigration program that will allow them to remain legally in the United States and obtain work permits.

A work permit was the priority for many of the more than 500 people who rushed into the church in Little Haiti seeking to file for TPS. Those interviewed at the church said they need jobs to send money to surviving or injured relatives back home, so they can rebuild their lives.

``My house in Port-au-Prince collapsed during the earthquake,'' said Jacques Claudore Deravil, 50, one of the Haitians seeking TPS at the church in Little Haiti. ``I need to work to send money to my wife and children who have been sleeping in the streets since the earthquake.''

•Hundreds file for Temporary Protected Status at Little Haiti church
Hundreds file for Temporary Protected Status at Little Haiti church
Hundreds of undocumented Haitian immigrants crowded inside Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church on Monday seeking help in filing applications for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, a special federal immigration program that will allow them to remain legally in the United States and obtain work permits.

Getting a work permit was a priority for many of the more than 500 people, many of whom had relatives in earthquake-torn Haiti.

``My house in Port-au-Prince collapsed during the earthquake,'' said Jacques Claudore Deravil, 50. ``I need to work to send money to my wife and children who have been sleeping in the streets since the earthquake.''

•Haitians already in U.S. get a temporary reprieve
Haitians already in U.S. get a temporary reprieve
The Obama administration said Friday it would grant tens of thousands of undocumented Haitian nationals in the United States Temporary Protected Status, an immigration benefit sought for years by Haitian activists, immigrant rights advocates and South Florida lawmakers.

In announcing the move only days after Haiti's devastating earthquake, Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement that the TPS designation was part of the administration's effort to support Haiti's recovery following ``a disaster of historic proportions.''

But she also made a point to discourage Haitians from leaving the country -- a sign the administration would crack down on illegal immigration.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com
A top federal immigration official will visit Miami Wednesday to meet with aid organizations involved in assisting undocumented Haitian immigrants in applying for a program that would allow them to legally remain in the United States.

Alejandro Mayorkas, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will be briefing the organizations on the application process for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, an immigration benefit approved last week to help Haiti in its earthquake recovery efforts.

Mayorkas' visit is a clear sign that the Obama administration sees South Florida as a focal point in responding to a potential influx of Haitian migrants following the massive earthquake that has so far left an estimated 200,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless.

Mayorkas' afternoon meeting at the USCIS Miami district office is open only to groups involved in assisting Haitian migrants applying for TPS. Immigrant aid groups outside South Florida will participate via teleconference.

His visit comes on the heels of the Obama administration's announcement last week to grant TPS to undocumented Haitian immigrants who were in the United States on or before Jan. 12 -- the day the earthquake struck. Those who arrive after the Jan. 12 deadline will be repatriated to Haiti.

TPS is an immigration benefit reserved for selected undocumented migrants from countries disrupted by natural disasters, armed conflicts or other emergencies.

An estimated 30,000 Haitians, most of whom live in South Florida, may be eligible for TPS.

When Mayorkas meets with immigrant rights groups, his focus will be to roll out specific procedures to expedite approval of Haitian TPS requests, agency officials said. He also will announce that USCIS will have on hand TPS experts to answer questions.

For the groups invited to the meeting, a major focus will be to press Mayorkas to deliver TPS-related work permits as quickly as possible so Haitians can secure jobs and start sending money to loved ones who were injured or left homeless by the earthquake.

Groups are also interested in pressing Mayorkas for a possible commitment to waive the hefty fees required to secure TPS and work permits: $340 for the work permit, $80 for fingerprints and $50 for the TPS filing fee.

``We will be asking all these questions,'' said Cheryl Little, executive director of Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, one of the groups invited to Mayorkas'meeting.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward ... 34658.html

"Federal immigration officials are expecting up to 200,000 undocumented Haitian immigrants, including nearly 68,000 in South Florida, to apply for a new federal immigration program that would allow the migrants to legally remain and work in the United States for 18 months."


18 months. Yea right, that's a good one!!!!