Miami Haitian organization FANM condemns Trump’s offensive remarks

Fanm Ayisyen nan Miyami (FANM), a private nonprofit organization located in the heart of Miami’s Little Haiti, issued a statement on Friday condemning Donald Trump’s demeaning remarks about Haitians and other immigrants from Africa and Central America. In its statement FANM, whose name is the kreyol translation for “Haitian Women of Miami,” and is a major catalyst for addressing issues that affect immigrant families in South Florida, said: 

Motivated by racism 

“President Trump’s disgusting remarks on Thursday denigrating Haiti, Haitians, and African immigrants have been universally publicized and appropriately broadly condemned.  They unfortunately fit into a pattern making clear that his anti-immigrant policies are motivated by racism and bias, not respect for the rule of law.

 Mockery of Trump’s campaign promise

The President’s words and the November 20 termination of Haiti’s TPS designation make a mockery of his September 2016 campaign promise to Haitian Americans in Miami’s “Little Haiti” to be their “greatest champion,” an appearance in which he lamented at length the “300,000 dead, un-believable, 300,000” in Haiti’s earthquake and said that he and Haitian Americans have “shared values.”  His words and anti-immigrant policies insult and dishonor Haiti and its people, and the historic contributions of Haitians and Haitian Americans to our country, including on the battlefield in Savannah in 1779, in the founding of the city of Chicago, and on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan as members of the U.S. military.

 Reject racist immigration promises

FANM, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, FLIC, AIJ, NFM, IMPAC, and all of our allies urge all Americans to reject the President’s words and racist immigration policies, which threaten to destroy the lives of so many, including the 27,000 U.S. born-children of the 50,000 Haitians whose TPS will end in July 2019.  We urge our congressional champions to insist that DHS now reinstate Haiti’s TPS designation, so unequivocally merited under the TPS statute due to the catastrophe of earthquake, cholera, and Hurricane Matthew which Haiti has endured recently.”

 “The President’s anti-Haitian animus is clear for all to see, revealing the illegal motive behind his decision ending Haiti’s TPS designation, which should be reinstated immediately,” said FANM Executive Director Marleine Bastien and IJDH Immigration Policy Coordinator Steven Forester.

 DHS failure to provide instructions to renew TPS

Continuing, the FANM statement indicated, “Further indicating the administration’s disrespect, DHS has failed so far to promptly publish as required notice in the Federal Register or otherwise instructing Haitians with TPS what they must do to renew their TPS and work authorization documents, which expire January 22, despite the issue having been raised with DHS Secretary Nielsen.

If there is any silver lining to the President’s abhorrent remarks, it is that they reveal the true reasons for his policies, hopefully enabling courts and politicians of good will to take remedial action, for example to reinstate TPS protections for the 50,000 Haitians.

We stand with Haiti, Haitians, and the Haitian American community in their unequivocal rejection and abhorrence of the President’s remarks and racist policies.  Their proud legacy of service and contribution cannot be sullied by words which reflect their speaker’s ignorance of the sacrifices honored in Savannah and Arlington National Cemetery.”

FANM has a long-standing commitment to meeting the needs of low to moderate-income Haitian families and children for the past 26 years through counseling, outreach, education, access to care and advocacy.