Friday, January 15, 2010
With Haiti in shambles from the recent 7.0 earthquake, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to temporarily halt all deportations to the island nation. Approximately 30,000 Haitians living illegally in the U.S. were subject to arrest and removal by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service. But ICE agents have been told to stop deporting undocumented Haitians for now. The U.S. government is unable to say just how many residents of the small Caribbean nation may be living illegally in the country. Figures from 2000 put the total at 76,000, but the number is likely to be much higher by now.
In the wake of the destruction wrought by the earthquake, some immigrant advocates and lawmakers in Congress have called for President Barack Obama to grant all Haitians in the United States Temporary Protected Status. The special program, which would grant Haitians visas lasting from six to 18 months, is intended to help tourists, students and illegal immigrants from countries enduring natural disasters and political upheaval.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Deportations To Haiti Halted After Earthquake (by David Gauvey Herbert, National Journal)
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