President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable Antony Blinken
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20395
May 18, 2021
Re: Redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status
Dear President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Mayorkas:
On behalf of the steering committee of the We Are Home campaign, a nationwide campaign to fight for immigrant communities, we request the redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for 18 months due to current extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country.
Immediate action to redesignate Haiti is urgent in light of the country’s current political and humanitarian crisis. In its most recent World Report, Human Rights Watch reported that Haiti is facing “one of the worst outbreaks of violence since 1986,” with “[p]rotracted political instability and gang violence in 2020 — often with state ties — contribut[ing] to the Haitian government’s inability to meet the basic needs of its people, resolve long-standing human rights problems, and address humanitarian crises.” Country conditions have only become more dire this year, as the country has faced rising fears of authoritarianism, increasing violence, and acute food insecurity. In April, the State Department issued a “do not travel” advisory for Haiti.
Redesignation of Haiti for TPS would protect Haitians in the United States from being returned to conditions of extreme danger and would prevent further instability in the country. As a candidate in 2020, President Biden promised to support the Haitian community in the U.S., and make sure the community has “an even shot of getting back on its feet.” Candidate Biden singled out support for Haitian TPS holders specifically. This support was a clear contrast to racist comments by President Trump denigrating Haitians, and to the Trump Administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti in the face of internal analysis regarding dangerous country conditions there.
Tens of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. have lived and worked in the U.S. with TPS for more than 10 years, contributing to communities here and also helping to support the stability of families in Haiti. Many TPS recipients from Haiti and other countries have served in essential worker roles during the pandemic, in health care, grocery stores, transportation, and other industries, playing a crucial role in this country’s response and recovery.
It is thus all the more urgent that President Biden keep his promises to the Haitian community, continue to take steps to fulfill the Administration’s commitment to racial equity, and redesignate Haiti for TPS immediately to support families and communities in the U.S. and in Haiti.
For questions, please contact We Are Home Campaign Director Bridgette Gomez at bridgette@wearehome.us.
Sincerely,
We Are Home Steering Committee Members
America’s Voice
CASA
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
Community Change/Action
Detention Watch Network
FIRM/Action
FWD.us
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
Immigration Hub
LA RED/Faith in Action
Make the Road New York
Mijente
NAKASEC
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Immigration Law Center
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
UFW Foundation
UNITE HERE
UndocuBlack Network
UnidosUS
United Farm Workers (UFW)
United We Dream
cc: Ambassador Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor