Haitian immigrants living in the United States will have an extended deadline to apply for work permits and protection from deportation, according to new guidelines released Monday by the Biden administration.
The Department of Homeland Security wrote in a news release that Haitians residing in the U.S. as of Nov. 6 will get an 18-month extension to apply for Temporary Protected Status through Aug. 3, 2024, so long as they meet all eligibility requirements. Those who came to the U.S. after Nov. 6 will not be eligible and could be subject to deportation.
Haiti had been given TPS status in May 2021, with a deadline of Feb. 4, 2023, to apply. The Los Angeles Times reported the extension makes about 110,000 Haitians living in the U.S. newly eligible to apply for TPS.
TPS is designated for people from countries that have been devastated by war, environmental disasters or extraordinary and temporary conditions, according to the DHS. Haiti has never recovered from a 2010 earthquake that killed more than 100,000 and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Another strong earthquake in 2021 worsened matters. Haiti has been mired in a political conflict since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, and it is wracked by gang violence.
"We are providing much-needed humanitarian relief to Haitian nationals already present in the United States," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. "The conditions in Haiti, including socioeconomic challenges, political instability, and gang violence and crime — aggravated by environmental disaster — compelled the humanitarian relief we are providing."
This year, the Biden administration had given TPS designations to Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as several other countries.
"Thank you @POTUS & @DHSgov for heeding the call of advocates, lawmakers, & impacted communities by extending & redesignating Haiti for TPS. This decision will save lives," tweeted Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who wrote a letter Wednesday to Mayorkas signed by five other House Democrats urging Haiti to be redesignated for TPS.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.