MIAMI, United States CMC — Hundreds of Haitian immigrants and immigration advocates protested here on Saturday, urging United States President Donald Trump to honor a campaign promise not to send them back home.Protesters from across South Florida who met in front of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office, recalled Trump’s pledge to be their “greatest champions” as they gathered in Little Haiti early Saturday to rally for the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians.
The immigration designation, granted by the Obama administration after the 2010 earthquake that left more than 300,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 1.5 million homeless, allows Haitians to live and work freely in the United States.
It said if the designation were to be revoked, the 58,000 members of the programme will be deported to a nation where more than 40,000 people live in makeshift shelters and tent homes.
Haiti also faces severe housing and food shortages after Hurricane Matthew wiped out homes and farmland last year, the Herald said.
The Miami Herald reports that a decision on extending TPS for Haitians could come as soon as this coming week, although the Department of Homeland Security has until May 23 — 60 days before the programme’s July 22 expiration.
One of Saturday rally’s organisers, Marleine Bastien, head of Haitian Women of Miami led the crowd in a chant, which loosely translated to “Give us justice. Give us TPS and don’t let us down.”
Around her, protesters held signs that read: “Haitian Lives Matter,” “TPS Yes, Deportation No,” and “L’Union Fait La Force,” which translates to Unity Makes Strength.
Protesters danced to music blasted from speakers or made by a crowd of musicians on drums and cymbals, chanted “TPS Now, Donald Trump,” and marched in circles on the stretch of Northwest Seventh Avenue in front of the immigration office.
“If he wants to step up to the plate and score for us, now is the time,” said Salusa Basquin, a 50-year-old teacher who moved to South Florida from Haiti in 1980, told the Herald.
Valerie Charlier, 25, brought her 4-year-old son, DJ Morris, to the protest. When he asked his mom why they were there, she told him, “because our people are going to be sent back to nothing.”
The Herald said Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon used his turn at the microphone to tell the crowd that “everybody” should support the renewal of TPS.
“Anybody with a conscience knows that Haiti has not recovered from its natural disasters,” he said.
The protest came amid reports that the Trump administration is seeking the criminal history of Haitians, as fears intensify that the administration will not extend TPS for Haitian nationals living illegally in the US.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has acknowledged compiling evidence on the crimes committed by Haitians enrolled in TPS.
This has sparked outrage among members of US Congress and Haitian immigrant advocates.
Last week, the Associated Press (AP) published portions of internal emails from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that the agency has made inquiries into the Haitian community’s criminal history.
The emails also reveal that the agency wants to know how many of the 58,000 Haitians enrolled in the TPS programme are taking advantage of public benefits, which they are not eligible to receive.
It said the revelation follows the creation of a DHS-run Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office to help victims of crimes committed by immigrants, and on the heels of a recommendation by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) acting director, James McCament, to terminate TPS for Haitians as of January.
McCament made the recommendation to DHS Secretary John Kelly in a memo last month.
The AP said that, while the move is considered to be unorthodox, it suggests that Kelly might be looking at other criteria in deciding whether the United States should continue the programme for Haitians.
Well well! the majority of unuh Hatian did vote for Trump, what did you guys expect.
Uppity haitians voted republican.. Lolol old habits never dies :travel
Haitians are a worthless lot! Freedom fought for in vain.
But mi nuh undastand. Why the heck would they vote for Trump when it was Obama who gave them wings to fly! Talk about ungrateful!
Because they don’t like the Clintons…understandably. They couldn’t see the big picture though…too late now
PP by the time you’re here making nonsensical comments about Haitian people…you can also make some researches to know why and how Haiti was sanctionned since the beginning to be the poorest country in America…Worthless is whom their votes don’t even count.
Nonsensical like the phuckry you wrote! UPPITY HAITIANS? COME BEAT ME!
You think all haitians living in Florida are illegal and poor?! There are hundreds of tanton macoutes living in this damn country and should be at the god damn hague!
How easily you f**kers forget papa doc and him son! I said it and can easily repeat it. The votes of thousands of Haitians counted just like the Batista bunch in said Miami.
“Uppity haitians voted republican.. Lolol old habits never dies :travel
Haitians are a worthless lot! Freedom fought for in vain”.
Case and Point of the “Uppity Haitian” I was referring to. 😀 😀 😀 I don’t need to research… I’ve written extensively on Haiti; dated a Haitian who had to be smuggled out of school to go into hiding while his father was being slaughtered.
YOU GO RESEARCH! FROM Florida, Paris and Canada.
Research me arse 😀 😀 😀 😀 again, unu stop come ova yah come assume unu know we because unu see we being carefree on various posts.
If it isn’t the dark skin killers it’s the light complexion ones who could give a million phucks about these wretched demonstrators! I don’t support black people abandoning their countries fi white man get it as country clubs abroad.
Example of these UPPITY HAITIANS and me nah tek it back!
” Luckner climbed rapidly up Haiti’s power structure and he became the chief plotter of the extortions carried out by his henchmen. Later, he profited by supplying corpses and blood to universities and hospitals in the United States. His brutality was manifest whenever there was a shortage of what he considered raw material (corpses). In that case, he did not hesitate to kill innocent people to facilitate the growth of his “industry.”
In 1971, following an altercation with the Duvalier family regarding his role in post-“Papa Doc” Haiti, Luckner fled to Miami. Nevertheless, he remained an ardent supporter of the Haitian regime until his death in October of 2006.”
Save your energy for gossips only…you don’t below in this field.
GO SUCK YU MADDA!
In case yu miss the first post…again, GO SUCK YU MUMMA! DE ENERGY SHE WASTE FI PUSH YU OUT SHE SHOULD A SHUT HAR PUSSC!
Go read over you sentence and research how much gossip post you see me inna…go suck yu mumma a third time!
CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING WORTH WILD SINCE YOU WANT FI SHOW ME UP! GO SUCK YU MUMMA AGAIN! The word is “BELONG” bitch! The ‘o’ and the ‘g’ nu fall inna the same home keys fi even say a mistake…dunce cunt!
Tired fi tell unu say this website cater to all kind of people. Gwan think a dunce yah deal wid. A bitch I am widout regret, but not a frigging batta foot dunce or whore like yu mumma. Run up unda dat wid all yu energy!
Hey bbz pay it no mind. Some people feel threatened by an educated outspoken black woman. We all know that you rarely comment on the gossip posts. That person clearly dont know nutten about you. Continue bless us with your knowledge. :peluk
PEPPA, LAWD JESUS
-PTS :tkp
HAITIANS VOTED FOR TRUMP CRAZY
I hate Haitians
Haitians commit some of the major fraud in the USA. You name, the are the face of fraud. Jamaicans can’t come close. I have been a victim of their schemes. Both occasions they were arrested and charge.
One thing I must say, some Haitians are very hard working and they take advantages of the opportunities available to them in the USA.
They voted Trump,just like the Cubans did,dats why Obama neve4 renew the Wet foot/Dry Foot policy and leave it up to Chump. How y’all doing?
hate to say it but the cubans are next! president obama is a very clever man! he ended foot/dry foot policy which was to their benefit and they turn around and vote republican for decades, with around 30,000 cubans flagged in DHS system for removal, I’m just curious to see which party they’re going to vote for in election 2020, it never ceases to amaze me how dumb and stupid people can be to vote against their own interest, its like jews voting for the nazi party after the party makes very clear their agenda on the campaign trail, or like “Dat Mi Seh” thinking that “daddy dump” is his savior :ngakak
Don’t forget the same wet foot/dry foot whey return to Cuba and a collect benefits.
Some people only read trending news and miss the in-depth ones.
Them brave to go right before ICE office to demonstrate, them ICE never scrape them up.
Don’t sorry fe them
Obama help them and them ungrateful like wha
Dem really think him would a business bout dem dem lucky
Look you people, the voters were left with no options, Hillary withheld their earthquake monies funds… They do not like her PERIOD.. If Bernie was running he would of won or almost anyone else except for Hillary… Sorry to say Trump was all that was left to vote for… Limited options… Plus we are saved from a nuke war what is the real biggest picture… A dat mi see. .@ramjam
Who told that Haitians do gruesome crimes…??? 7 lives took in one day included babies…teeangers who are pregnant…women… you name it…but i guess just because it’s Jamaicans…THE GODLY NATION…THE DECENT PEOPLE…WHO PRAY BY DAY AND A BRUK OUT AND SKIN OUT BY NIGHT FROM UPT TO DWT AND STILL MANAGE TO BE AMONG THE FIVE NATIONS WITH HIGHEST MURDER RATE ON EARTH…BRAVO!!! A life was taken this week in Haiti and my people out there crying like it’s the end of the world…i guess it was maybe the fifteen murder since the beginnig of this year…SO LOWE US! I SEND THIS MSG FORALL OF U WHO LOVE TO OPEN YOUR STINKY GANJA MOUTH ON MY NATION JUST IN CASE Y’ALL STILL ALIVE…if some gunmen didn’t gun y’all down yet! LOWE US!
I am just seeing this, the audacity you have! “Lowe us”? If we nuh shit unuh caa nyam! Unuh waa ne Jamaican so ***ing bad! Unuh dick eat offa we music and the way we talk….unuh obsess. Yes we country nuh perfect, but we still a win! We still generating millions of tourist per yr. And a bare star come from Jamaica. Who wicked like unuh? Weh take susumba and ackee and work obeah. Unuh nyam all cat to pussyclaat. Unuh nasty set a germs unuh. How yuh fi try style we? On top of that yah try style we inah patios? Be yourself! Unuh old crosses! Not even trees can grow pon unuh land. We likkle but we tallawah!! Now guh suck yuh mumma!! Wid bare badness backa dat!!!!