Senate Dems want Haitians to stay in U. S.

Trump officials weigh ending protected status for 50,000 despite severe hardships for some back on the island

Sixteen senators urged the Trump administration Wednesday to continue immigration protections for 50,000 Haitians living in the U. S. because of severe hardships back home.

The senators, all Democrats, sent a letter responding to a recommendation by the head of U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to end “temporary protected status” for Haitians by January. The recommendation was first reported by USA TODAY.

The U. S. government has granted such protections to foreigners from 13 countries hammered by natural disasters, famine or war.

In the letter written by Sen. Bob Mendenez, D- N. J., to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the senators said Haiti still hasn’t recovered from the devastating 2010 earthquake and last year’s Hurricane Matthew.

The temporary protection program was created for foreigners “when extraordinary conditions in their home country pose a serious threat to personal safety,” wrote the senators, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D- N. Y. “Given Haiti’s many challenges, the United States’ focus should be to prioritize disaster assistance and recovery, not to return Haitian nationals to a country lacking the capacity to support them.”

“More than seven years after the devastating earthquake and resulting humanitarian crisis, Haiti has yet to recover,” the senators wrote.

Kelly, who has the final say, has not decided on the Haitians’ fate yet, Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said.

James McCament, acting di- rector of Citizenship and Immigration Services, wrote on April 10 that “conditions in Haiti no longer support its designation” for temporary protections. He suggested extending protections set to end July 22 through next January.

McCament wrote that 96% of those who lost their homes during the earthquake are no longer living in temporary camps. But an agency report in December said that still leaves 55,000 people in temporary camps, and many who left were either evicted or moved back into their damaged homes. The senators’ letter highlighted the difficulties that remain.

“More than seven years after the devastating earthquake and resulting humanitarian crisis, Haiti has yet to recover.” Letter from 16 U. S. senators

PATRICK FARRELL, AP Cholera Marie Louse Valentin weeps in front of her home shattered by Hurricane Matthew in Morne la Source, Haiti. More than 50,000 people still remain in temporary camps.