[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8795]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               EXTEND HAITIAN TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
6-month extension for Haitian temporary protected status recipients 
living in the United States, and for whom I believe our country should 
offer permanent residency. Temporary protected status, also known as 
TPS, offers forms of relief from removal under changing living 
conditions.
  In 2010, Haiti was struck by the worst earthquake in the past 200 
years, killing more than 160,000 people and displacing close to 1.5 
million.
  The United States played an intricate role in bringing some of the 
Haitians to the United States, providing them with a safe haven, 
because that is what we do.
  Booker Washington captured well the importance of assisting people in 
need when he said: ``The highest test of the civilization of any race 
is in its willingness to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate.'' 
With this in mind, America should move the temporary protected status 
to permanent residency.
  Return of the Haitian natives would only continue to set back the 
progress Haiti has made. The country of Haiti continues to feel the 
ramifications of the 2010 earthquake. Tens of thousands of people sleep 
in the streets or under plastic sheets in makeshift camps. The 
conditions that Haitians endure in the country has led to the spread of 
disease, which has become a major concern. The cholera epidemic has 
affected nearly 800,000 Haitians, killing over 9,000. Cholera is 
primarily found in countries with inadequate access to clean water, 
sanitation, and hygiene. In short, the quality of living in Haiti has 
created a need for a better life.
  The economic disparity, extreme poverty, and underdevelopment of 
Haiti continues to loom. Though it is an island nation with rich 
culture, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 
Among the 9 million people who reside in Haiti, over half live in 
extreme poverty, some even living on less than a dollar a day. While in 
the United States, people continue to contribute to our economy, our 
diversity, and to our ever-evolving culture. This embodies the epitome 
of a mutualistic relationship.
  The people of Haiti and the United States have had a long and complex 
relationship dating back to pre-slavery days. Our cultures and our 
respective economic histories and destinies are deeply intertwined.
  I greatly urge my colleagues to support the permanent extension of 
Haitians being protected from mass deportation. For 7 years, these 
Haitians have greatly benefited the American communities of which they 
have been a part. To pull them away from these communities at such a 
pivotal point in both the United States' and Haiti's history would 
equate to nothing short of gross negligence. Let us not neglect the 
principle of which our Nation was founded upon and continue to assume 
the role of our predecessors. Help those who are less fortunate.

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