Mayorkas Moves to Shield Hundreds of Thousands from Deportation Back to Troubled Caribbean Nation; Biden Widens Deportation Relief for Haitians in U.S., Including Parole Program Recipients

Mayorkas moves to shield hundreds of thousands from deportation back to troubled Caribbean nation:

The Biden administration has redesignated or extended Temporary Protected Status for a number of countries

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it is shielding an extra 300,000 Haitian nationals from deportation and offering them work permits, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorka said he is extending and redesignating Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months until February 2026. The redesignation allows Haitian immigrants, including those in the country illegally, who were not covered by prior designations to apply for the protection and for work authorization.

To be eligible, Haitians must have been in the U.S. as of June 3. DHS predicts that it will allow an estimated 309,000 additional nationals to file for TPS, on top of those already protected.

TPS grants protection for nationals in countries found to be unsafe for them to be returned and is based on three grounds: armed ongoing conflict, environmental disasters or “extraordinary and temporary conditions.”

“Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and mudslides, and often experiences significant damage due to storms, flooding, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges have resulted in ongoing urgent humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a release.

“We are providing this humanitarian relief to Haitians already present in the United States given the conditions that existed in their home country as of June 3, 2024,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “In doing so, we are realizing the core objective of the TPS law and our obligation to fulfill it.” —>READ MORE HERE

Biden widens deportation relief for Haitians in U.S., including parole program recipients:

Over half-a-million Haitians already in the United States will be eligible for deportation protections after the Biden administration announced it is expanding a federal program that allows nationals of Haiti to temporarily live and work here amid their Caribbean nation’s worsening gang violence and humanitarian crisis.

Department of Homeland Secretary Alejando Mayorkas announced on Friday that the agency would extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haiti for 18 months. The agency cited the country’s ongoing violence and insecurity, and Haitians’ “limited access to safety, health care, food and water.”

To benefit, Haitians need to have been in the U.S. as of June 3. One of the largest groups of Haitians expected to benefit under the Biden plan are those who arrived in the U.S. as part of a two-year humanitarian parole program. Currently, there are approximately 214,000 Haitians who are receiving TPS benefits. Another 309,000, including those here under the humanitarian program, may become newly eligible following Friday’s announcement.

Haitians enrolled in TPS are protected from deportation and can apply for work permits. The designation, once targeted for termination by President Donald Trump during his administration, is reserved for countries in turmoil as a result of devastating natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary conditions.

“We are providing this humanitarian relief to Haitians already present in the United States given the conditions that existed in their home country as of June 3, 2024. In doing so, we are realizing the core objective of the TPS law and our obligation to fulfill it,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Haitians enrolled in TPS are protected from deportation and can apply for work permits. The designation, once targeted for termination by President Donald Trump during his administration, is reserved for countries in turmoil as a result of devastating natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary conditions.

The redesignation comes amid a period of extreme turbulence in Haiti as gangs attack neighborhoods and institutions and threaten to overthrow the country’s government. Gang violence killed and injured around 2,500 people during the first three months of this year. Nearly 580,000 are internally displaced, according to a recent U.N. report. While TPS is not a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, it allows program recipients to temporarily reside and work in the U.S. until conditions in their country improve. —>READ MORE HERE

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