[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 108 (Friday, July 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1832-E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCING A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR TEMPORARY 
PROTECTED STATUS FOR HAITIAN NATIONALS CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THE UNITED 
                     STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a 
concurrent resolution expressing support for temporary protected status 
for Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States, and for 
other purposes.
  The creation of TPS was intended to serve as the statutory embodiment 
of a safe haven for those who are fleeing--or reluctant to return to--a 
potentially dangerous situation in their country of origin.
  According to section 244(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 
1990, TPS may be granted when: there is ongoing armed conflict posing a 
serious threat to personal safety; it is requested by a foreign state 
that temporarily cannot handle the return of nationals due to 
environmental disaster; or extraordinary and temporary conditions in a 
foreign state exist which prevent aliens from returning.
  Haiti has continued to meet all three of these requirements, and yet, 
not once have Haitian nationals been granted TPS.
  Last summer, only a few months after deadly food riots led to the 
removal of the country's Prime Minister, Haiti was ravaged by four 
back-to-back natural disasters. Thousands lost their homes, many were 
left starving and isolated from humanitarian assistance, nearly 800 
lives were taken, and over 300 people remain missing.
  How dire must the situation in Haiti become before the United States 
is willing to extend this helping hand to Haiti as it has done for 
other nations under similar circumstances?
  The Haitian government's ability to provide basic governmental 
services--clean water, education, passable roads and basic health 
care--remains severely compromised by these natural disasters. 
Repatriating Haitians at this time imposes an additional burden on 
government resources that are already stretched too thin and poses a 
serious danger to deportees' personal safety. Further, with hurricane 
season well underway, the Haitian people will only slip further into 
despair when another storm inevitably hits their nation.
  Concerning stability and overall safety, Haiti is still in dire need 
of an adequate policing force to maintain order and halt the escalation 
in kidnappings that are plaguing the nation.
  As of today, the Department of State's current travel warning advises 
Americans that current conditions in Haiti make it unsafe to travel due 
to the potential for looting, the possibility of random violent crime, 
and the serious threat of kidnapping for ransom.
  Madam Speaker, if it is unsafe for our citizens to travel to Haiti, 
then those same conditions should make it much too dangerous and 
inappropriate to forcibly repatriate Haitians at this time. It is 
unfortunate and appalling that our current immigration policies hold 
such harmful double standards.
  I want to make it very clear that I acknowledge and heartily 
congratulate Haiti's efforts toward recovery and to a stable democratic 
government. However, President Prival's nascent democratic government 
still faces immense challenges with regards to rebuilding Haiti's 
police and judicial institutions to achieve the fair and prompt 
tackling of the ongoing political and criminal violence.
  In addition to safety and human rights considerations, halting the 
deportation of Haitians is also an economic matter.
  Under the law, TPS beneficiaries are eligible to obtain work 
authorization permits. The ability for Haitian nationals to legally 
work in the United States puts them in a position to contribute to 
their country's recovery and development until such time when it is 
safe for them to return to Haiti.
  Madam Speaker, the Haitian Diaspora has always played a pivotal role 
in assisting Haiti. It is widely known that Haitians residing in the 
United States often work three jobs to send money back to Haiti each 
month. Many Haitians in the United States often send remittances to 
support family members, and others travel home to lend their expertise 
toward rebuilding and humanitarian efforts.
  Designating Haiti under TPS status would preserve and increase 
remittances--totaling approximately a third of Haiti's GDP--from the 
Haitian Diaspora to relatives and communities in Haiti that are key for 
welfare, survival, and recovery.
  Haiti is more dependent than any other country on remittances with 
nearly a billion dollars a year sent home by Haitians in the United 
States. In fact, remittances to Haiti far exceed foreign aid.
  Now, many Haitian nationals in the United States who previously 
sustained relatives in Haiti through remittances are being deported, 
further depriving Haiti of an important source of financial aid that is 
well-positioned to assist when based here in the United States.
  Madam Speaker, there are currently five countries that are protected 
under the TPS provision: Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Somalia, and 
Sudan. By refusing to give Haiti the TPS designation, our inequitable 
immigration policies continue to send the message that the safety of 
Haitian lives is not a priority compared to that of Salvadoran, 
Honduran, or Sudanese lives.
  We must act to change this perception. Our immigration policies have 
to change. They must reflect fairness and treat Haitians equally to 
Nicaraguans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans whose deportations are 
suspended and who are allowed to work and support their families back 
home.
  Granting Haitians TPS is necessary to achieve fundamental fairness in 
our treatment of Haitian immigrants and remedy the accurate and 
widespread perception that U.S. policy has discriminated against them.

[[Page E1833]]

  Madam Speaker, we cannot deny Haiti this opportunity to help 
stabilize its economy, recover from devastating natural disasters, 
rebuild its political and economic institutions, and provide a future 
of hope for Haiti's people.
  I ask my colleagues to support this concurrent resolution and urge 
the House Leadership to bring it swiftly to the House floor for 
consideration.

                          ____________________