Immigration

By Mairin McQueen In January 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, displacing millions of Haitians. 60,000 were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to live in the U.S. during recovery. As years passed, however, cholera, hurricanes, and political corruption ravaged Haiti, making it even harder for those displaced to return home. In November 2017, the Trump Administration suddenly canceled Haitian TPS. Now, all 60,000 holders must leave the U.S. by July 22, 2019, or face deportation to Haiti. Watch the video below: The transcript is available HERE. Visit www.ijdh.org to find out how to push for permanent solutions and fight unjust immigration policies. Mairin joined IJDH in spring 2018 as a Communications and Development intern and was very involved in immigration advocacy. She is currently attending Boston University and majoring in communication and political science.

April 18, 2018 |Press Release Nearly 100 Members of Congress Seek Answers from U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Immigration Program Washington, DC—Nearly 100 Members of Congress have written the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding answers on how the agency is administering the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.  The letter, led by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), presses Secretary Nielsen on recent TPS decisions affecting thousands of immigrants from Sudan, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti and Syria.  Signed by 80 Representatives and 17 Senators, the letter argues that the agency has failed to adequately justify ending TPS status for many covered countries and, in many cases, has also failed to make decisions in a timely, transparent manner, creating fear and uncertainty among immigrant communities.   “The Trump Administration’s capricious and arbitrary rulings affecting […]

WE HAVE RIGHTS: Inside Our Homes from MediaTank on Vimeo. All the four vdieos are in seven languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Haitian Creole and Urdu. WHEN ICE IS OUTSIDE OUR DOOR ENGLISH – bit.ly/WHREng1 SPANISH – bit.ly/WHRSP1 ARABIC – https://vimeo.com/261334720 CREOLE – https://vimeo.com/261288865 MANDARIN – https://vimeo.com/261299828 RUSSIAN – https://vimeo.com/261312821 URDU – https://vimeo.com/261463891 WHEN ICE IS INSIDE OUR HOMES ENGLISH – bit.ly/WHREng2 SPANISH – bit.ly/WHRSP2 ARABIC – https://vimeo.com/261344311 CREOLE – https://vimeo.com/261290778 MANDARIN – https://vimeo.com/261307038 RUSSIAN – https://vimeo.com/261316844 URDU – https://vimeo.com/261465611 IN OUR COMMUNITIES, IN OUR STREETS ENGLISH – bit.ly/WHREng3 SPANISH – bit.ly/WHRSP3 ARABIC – https://vimeo.com/261349530 CREOLE – https://vimeo.com/261292780 MANDARIN – https://vimeo.com/261303755 RUSSIAN – https://vimeo.com/261321245 URDU – https://vimeo.com/261467745 IF ICE ARRESTS US ENGLISH – bit.ly/WHREng4 SPANISH – bit.ly/WHRSP4 ARABIC – https://vimeo.com/261351959 CREOLE – https://vimeo.com/261295906 MANDARIN – https://vimeo.com/261305471 RUSSIAN – https://vimeo.com/261324397 URDU – https://vimeo.com/261469405     #WE HAVE RIGHTS

For Immediate Release (EMBARGOED UNTIL 3-15-2018)  March 14, 2018 What: Press Conference at FANM on Filing of Haiti TPS Lawsuit Who: Lawyers, TPS Recipients, and Community Leaders Time: March 15, 2018 at 2:00 PM Location:  FANM, 100 N.E. 84 Street, Miami,  Florida , 33138 Contact:  Marleine Bastien, Executive Director, FANM, 305 756-8050 Sejal Zota, NIPNLG, (919) 698-5015 Ira Kurzban, (305) 444-0060 Steven Forester, Immigration Policy Coordinator, IJDH, 786 877 6999 Clarel Cyriaque, Esq., 305 797-0141 New Suit Alleges Unlawful Conduct by Trump Administration Officials, Seeks Injunctive Relief to Prevent Deportation of Over 50,000 Haitian TPS Recipients   The Administration’s Decision to Terminate Program Exposes Complete Lack of Knowledge of Immigration Law Resulting in Violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, Plaintiffs’ 5th Amendment Rights and Regulatory Flexibility Act   A new suit filed this morning in the Eastern District of New York alleges violations of law and the Constitution by Trump administration officials […]

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is designed to help immigrants of countries that are temporarily experiencing extraordinary distress, and the Trump Administration has recently announced the end TPS for many countries, including Haiti. Last November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminated Haiti’s TPS designation. Steve Forester from the Institute of Justice and Democracy (IJDH) and other immigration advocates decry DHS’ decision and vow to fight for just immigration policy that will keep Haitian families together. Haiti has been reeled by a series natural and man-made disasters in the past eight years, including an uncontrolled cholera epidemic that was introduced by UN peacekeepers in the months following the 2010 Earthquake. Read the full article HERE. This is what will happen once Temporary Protected Status is revoked for 300K immigrants By Samantha Grasso, February 4, 2018 Eight days into the new year, […]

Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)’s Executive Director, Brian Concannon told a crowd that Trump’s Vulgar remark is an insult to the dignity of the Haitian people. Concannon said, “President Trump’s remarks about Haiti are false. They are an affront to the dignity of the Haitian people and the American people.” Watch him addressing the rally in Haitian-Creole.