From: Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [mailto:Ileana.Ros-Lehtinen@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 4:21 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: IRL in the News: Miami Herald: U.S. halts deportations of undocumented Haitians due to earthquake

JOINT LETTER

To spur the administration to approve TPS, South Florida's three Cuban-American Republican members of Congress -- Reps. Lincoln and his brother Mario Diaz-Balart, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- sent a joint letter to Obama requesting TPS for Haitian nationals along with immediate humanitarian aid for Haiti.

``How much does Haiti have to suffer before Haitians in the United States are granted TPS pursuant to law?'' Lincoln Diaz-Balart said Wednesday. ``The reason TPS exists in the statute as an option for the president is precisely for moments such as this in Haiti.''

MIAMI HERALD

Posted on Thu, Jan. 14, 2010

U.S. halts deportations of undocumented Haitians due to earthquake

BY TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA AND ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com

In the aftermath of Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, the Obama administration announced Wednesday it was temporarily suspending deportations of undocumented Haitians.

But there was no immediate indication that the federal government would grant Haitian nationals Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, an immigration benefit long sought by Haitian activists and South Florida lawmakers.

TPS is granted to selected immigrants who cannot safely return to their homelands because of natural disasters, armed conflicts or other emergencies. Those eligible are allowed to remain here and obtain work permits and temporary stays for specific periods -- a status often renewed indefinitely.

``TPS is in the range of considerations we consider in a disaster, but our focus remains on saving lives,'' Matthew Chandler, deputy Homeland Security press secretary, said in an e-mail to El Nuevo Herald after the department announced it was halting deportations.

JOINT LETTER

What many Haitian Americans and others view as unfair is the fact that Haiti -- like other countries in the hemisphere -- has endured natural disasters, yet its citizens have never been granted TPS.

The Department of Homeland Security has currently designated citizens from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia and Sudan eligible for TPS.

Said Andre Pierre, Haitian-American mayor of North Miami, a city that contains one of the nation's largest Haitian-American communities: ``The White House is going to have to come up with something else within the next couple of days or next week at the latest. They are going to have to give TPS.''

ACTIVISTS

Several prominent immigrant-rights activists in Miami issued statements Wednesday strongly urging Obama to grant TPS.

Among the most vocal: Cheryl Little, executive director of Miami-based Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.

``Repeated calls for the U.S. government to grant TPS to Haitians have been fruitless,'' a statement from Little's office said Wednesday. ``If not now, when?''

At a news conference Wednesday, Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, said he believes the White House will grant TPS to Haitians in ``weeks or days.''

The Obama administration's move on Wednesday to halt deportations marked the first time federal officials had taken such a step in connection with Haitian nationals.

In the past, U.S. immigration officials have temporarily halted removals in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters. But the deportations usually resume as soon as the emergencies end.