Victory: Obama Administration Grants Crucial Immigration Protection, TPS, to Haitians in U.S.

America's Voice Blog

Posted 01/15/10 at 06:42pm

Victory: Obama Administration Grants Crucial Immigration Protection, TPS, to Haitians in U.S.

Haiti Earlier today we urged you to Stand with Haiti by donating to the post-earthquake relief effort and calling for a crucial protection, called Temporary Protected Status (TPS), for Haitian men and women living in the U.S.

Well, here's to a long-overdue victory!

President Obama deserves praise for granting TPS, as do the bipartisan group of members of Congress and many, diverse advocacy organizations and bloggers who publicly urged him to do so.

The Miami Herald reports, in "Obama administration grants TPS to Haitians:"

The Obama administration announced Friday that it would grant tens of thousands Haitian nationals Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, an immigration benefit sought for years by Haitian activists, immigrant advocates and South Florida lawmakers.

The move comes following intense pressure on the administration this week to approve Haiti for TPS in the aftermath of the country's devastating earthquake.

TPS is granted to selected immigrants who cannot safely return to their homelands because of natural disasters, armed conflicts or other emergencies. Those eligible are allowed to remain here, obtain work permits and temporary stays for specific periods -- a status often renewed indefinitely.

The article cites DHS secretary Janet Napolitano, who made the announcement at 6pm EST:

As part of the Department's ongoing efforts to assist Haiti following Tuesday's devastating earthquake, I am announcing the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010 [...] This is a disaster of historic proportions and this designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our country for the next 18 months.

Thank you once again for standing with Haiti, and with the Haitian men and women living in the U.S. during this catastrophe.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to give to organizations working in Haiti like Partners in Health. You can also contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999."