Over 400 faith leaders and representatives from various organizations on Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), John Kelly urging him to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, for at least 18 months.
The plea follows reports that the DHS is considering ending TPS for approximately 50,000 Haitians by January 2018 despite the fact that Haiti is still struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010.
In the aftermath of the quake, thousands o Haitians were granted TPS, which permits them to live and work in the United States.
“Extending Haitian TPS is in the national interest, as Haitian TPS holders are a self-sufficient and industrious segment of the U.S. economy and are providing invaluable economic support to family members still in Haiti, preventing further destabilization of the country. Allowing Haitian TPS holders to remain safely in the U.S. until Haiti is sufficiently stable honors our closely-held moral, religious, and American values to stand for the human rights and dignity of all people, here and abroad. TPS should be extended. To do otherwise would be inconsistent with our values of hospitality, generosity, and compassion,” wrote the 416 faith leaders and organizations.
The plea will also be extended to President Donald Trump as members of the Congressional Black Caucus are scheduled to write a letter that will also call for the predesignation of TPS to permit more Haitians living in the US to receive protection even as the Haiti struggles to recover fully.
