Hassan: Restore TPS for Haitians
In July, Michael Walz, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, reported on his recent trip to Haiti. Criminal gangs there, he said, “have literally turned entire neighborhoods, an entire city, the capital of Port-au-Prince, into a kill zone.” The State Department’s most recent Human Rights Report said Haiti’s government lacks capacity to protect people from the gangs.
“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment,” the State Department’s travel advisory says. “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”
Despite the obvious danger, the administration has ended Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitians and is threatening to deport hundreds of thousands of people to a country which they admit is unsafe. The Supreme Court majority says that’s fine with them.
Fortunately, some members of Congress are standing up. Representatives Goodlander and Pappas voted for H.R. 1689, restoring TPS status to Haitians. The bill passed, with 10 Republicans joining all the Democrats in support. On the Senate side, Senator Shaheen is co-sponsoring a parallel bill, S. 4814.
In a letter I received yesterday, Senator Hassan expressed concern about the Court’s ruling and assured me she is monitoring the situation. Yet she has made no commitment to restoring TPS and halting the deportation of Haitians. I urge her to do so now. The cruelty must be stopped.