Today 50,000 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons won a reprieve from being deported to Haiti, where they may have faced extremely difficult conditions. The reprieve arrived via an announcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians for another six months – July 23, 2017 through January 22, 2018.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow more than 50,000 victims of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake to remain in the United States with work authorizations until January 2018, department officials told reporters on Monday.
The Obama administration first granted protections to Haitians who arrived in the United States within a year of the devastating earthquake and the group’s status has since been extended.
“After careful review of the current conditions in Haiti and conversations with the Haitian government, I have decided to extend the designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status for a limited period of six-months. Haiti has made progress across several fronts since the devastating earthquake in 2010, and I’m proud of the role the United States has played during this time in helping our Haitian friends. The Haitian economy continues to recover and grow, and 96 percent of people displaced by the earthquake and living in internally displaced person camps have left those camps. Even more encouraging is that over 98 percent of these camps have closed. Also indicative of Haiti’s success in recovering from the earthquake seven years ago is the Haitian government’s stated plans to rebuild the Haitian President’s residence at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince and the withdrawal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.” ~John Kelly, Secretary Homeland Security
The officials said, however, that Haitians in the United States under what is known as temporary protected status should begin acquiring travel documents to return to Haiti, noting that DHS has not committed to extending protections past January.
“I believe there are indications that Haiti – if its recovery from the 2010 earthquake continues at pace – may not warrant further TPS extension past January 2018.
“Temporary Protected Status as enacted in law is inherently temporary in nature, and beneficiaries should plan accordingly that this status may finally end after the extension announced today.”
U.S. law allows DHS to grant temporary protected status to citizens of countries ravaged by violence, disease and natural disasters.
Additional information on TPS for Haiti—including guidance on eligibility, the application process, and where to file—is available online at uscis.gov/tps. Further details about this extension of TPS for Haiti, including the application requirements and procedures, appear in a Federal Register notice published today.
Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).
