Advocates welcome increased refugee admissions from Caribbean
in 2021. The proposal is a stark departure from Trump’s policies, which drastically cut admissions from 110,000 in 2016 to 15,000 in the current fiscal year.
HAITIANS’ PLIGHT
In the meantime, the Brooklyn, New York-based Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees has joined NYIC in calling on Biden to intervene immediately in stopping what they described as the mass deportation of Haitians.
The two organisations said that, since February 1, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has deported roughly 300 Haitians.
The group said “another shameful 1,800 deportations” are expected in the next two weeks. “ICE’s aggressive approach is in line with the Trump-era policy of targeting Black migrants,” said the groups in a statement, demanding “the immediate intervention from the Biden White House”.
“It’s no surprise that ICE kicked off Black History Month by terrorising black immigrants and tearing apart their families,” said Awawdeh and Rajkishun.
The reported mass deportation comes as a major Haitian immigration advocacy group in Miami in mid- December wholeheartedly welcomed the US’ extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals from Haiti until October 4, 2021..
In December, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it was also extending TPS, until the same time, for beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan.