Stop Deportations Of Haitians From US

Ezili Dantò Note: Please folks, kindly call the White House Comment Line and Ask for a stop to all deportations to Haiti and a grant of work permits.

The White House is paying attention. Your call will make a DIFFERENCE. White House Comment line: 202-456-1111; FAX: 202-456-2461 (If you also fax, see sample TPS letter below) and comments@whitehouse.gov.

A legislative "solution" - that is a comprehensive immigration reform - will not get on the Congressional agenda for at least a year. Tell President Obama Haitians need the US to stop exacerbating Haiti's crisis now and that granting TPS of Defered Enforced Departure (DED) is the least that can be done RIGHT NOW. Please call the white house comment line (202-456-1111) and leave a message asking that President Obama grant TPS or DED to Haitians immediately. This concern of the Administration that an exodus from Haiti will follow is not only silly but discriminatory as others granted TPS have not had to deal with such excuses. It's a silly concern because how will this exodus happen when if Haiti had enough trees to make boats it would also have had enough trees to stop the ravages of last fall's storm floods!!!. Haiti has practically zero forest cover. So, no wood to make enough boats for such an EXODUS to occur! The few Haitian boats that do make it on the high seas are routinely intercepted by the US Coast Guard. Moreover, when President Clinton granted Haitians deferred enforced departure (DED) there was no exodus from Haiti. At the stroke of a
pen, President Obama may begin to stop exacerbating Haiti's suffering by formally stopping all deportations to Haiti, provide work permits and release all qualified deportees from ICE detention.

The White House is paying attention to the public's concern on this and the TPS issue is on their watch list and tallying sheets. Please increase our chances on this. Advocate directly to the Obama Administration by calling the White House Comment Line. Your call will make a DIFFERENCE.

White House Comment line: 202-456-1111

FAX: 202-456-2461 (See HLLN sample letter below);

e-mail-
comments@whitehouse.gov.


Sample Letter - (See also TPS Update: U.S. Resumes Deportation flights to Haiti).

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: 202 456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461 | comments@whitehouse.gov

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
2001 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20528
Phone: 202-282-8000
Fax: 202-282-8401
Homeland Security Comment Line: 202 282 8495

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Phone: 202-647-4000

DATE: ____, 2009


Dear President Barack Obama/ Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton / Secretary Janet Napolitano

Please designate the country of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months with specifications to stop all deportations to Haiti.

In 2008, hurricanes and storms devastated Haiti, and presidential candidate Barack Obama stated:“I also urge the United States to work in partnership with President Rene Preval and the new Haitian government … to immediately assemble a task force on reconstruction and recovery to begin work as soon as the storms pass…Together, we can help Haiti recover from this terrible series of storms and renew efforts to bring hope and opportunity to the people of Haiti.”

Today, deportations to storm-ravage Haiti continue. When the US deports an income earner to storm-ravaged Haiti, this decreases remittances and further impoverishes family members. Diaspora remittances are the most effective and direct aid to the Haitian poor in Haiti.

In 2002 TPS was renewed for Nicaraguan and Honduran immigrants because of continuing difficulties caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. At this point, Haiti is in much worse shape than Central Americans were at the time. Haitians in the United States should receive equal treatment and protection. Haiti qualifies for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and should be granted this disaster relief.

Four tropical storms and hurricanes battered Haiti during last year's harvest season, killing almost 1,000 people nationwide, decimating Haiti's agriculture and causing $1 billion in damage to irrigation, bridges and roads. Mudslides still cover entire towns. Houses are flooded. Schools have collapsed on children and people are starving. It's inhumane to deport Haitian back to Haiti under these devastating conditions, where they will find no home, no employment, no food, no personal safety and security.

TPS was established to provide protection to people who are temporarily unable to return to their homelands. Please help the people in Haiti by permitting their friends and relatives in the United States to remain here and to continue to send support to a nation in severe crisis. Please affirm the United States tradition of caring for and protecting persons in vulnerable situations by granting TPS and/or stopping all deportations through Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) or any equivalent administrative or executive ruling, with a specification to stop ALL deportations and provide work permits to Haitian nationals.

Sincerely,

Your name and contact information



_________________________________

*************

cc: Marguerite Laurent, Esq.
President, Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN)
Phone: (203) 829-7210
P. O. Box 3573
Stamford, CT 06905
e-mail: ezilidanto@yahoo.com
www.ezilidanto.com