7 yıl önce

Haitian immigrants in US in limbo after losing protected status

Some 60,000 Haitians in the US received Temporary Protected Status after a 2010 earthquake ruined their country. Its rescindment brings new uncertainty.

Reuters

Haitian immigrants and supporters rally to reject Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Decision to terminate TPS for Haitians in New York on November 21, 2017.

The United States in July 2019 will end a special status given to about 59,000 Haitian immigrants that protects them from deportation after a devastating 2010 earthquake.

The decision by acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke gives Haitians 18 months to return to their impoverished Caribbean country or legalise their status in the United States.

Former President Barack Obama's administration granted Haitian nationals in the United States so-called Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for 18 months after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in January 2010, killing more than 300,000 people.

Florida is the state with the most programme holders of Haitian nationality. The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, estimates 32,500 Haitians in Florida have Temporary Protected Status, with 18,800 US-born children living in those households. But there are also thousands in states like New York and Massachusetts.

TRT World's Steve Mort reports on how the decision has left many in the state in limbo.