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Refugee Groups Applaud Gov. Jeb Bush’s Support of Temporary Stay for Haitians; More than 20 Florid

New York, NY

Refugee advocacy organizations applaud Gov. Jeb Bush’s support to allow Haitians to stay temporarily in the United States and call on him to urge President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft to initiate this policy. The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) and many Haitian and other immigrant organizations have long urged the United States to grant Haitians in the United States temporary protected status (TPS) as a result of recent devastating floods and continued political instability in the Caribbean nation.

“Gov. Bush’s support is wonderful news for Haitians in the United States who fear for their lives in Haiti,” says Wendy Young, director of external relations, Women’s Commission. “Thousands are still struggling to survive after the deadly floods; to send Haitians back to such conditions is unacceptable. Many other Haitians still face political violence and persecution upon return because the provisional government has little control over the country and armed forces continue roam freely.”

Section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows the U.S. to designate nationals of a country for TPS if “there is an ongoing armed conflict within the state and, due to that conflict, return of nationals of that state would pose a serious threat to personal safety,” or if, “there has been a…flood…resulting in a substantial but temporary disruption of living conditions.”

TPS has been granted in the past to nationals of Sudan, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Burundi, Bosnia-Herzegovina, El Salvador and Guatemala due to political unrest in those countries. TPS was also given to Hondurans and Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch.

A coalition of Florida groups believes that granting TPS would help balance out what has been called the discriminatory treatment of Haitian refugees over the last few years. Federal policies have increasingly singled out Haitian refugees for more punitive treatment than refugees from other countries. Community groups in Florida say they can’t emphasize enough how important TPS would be to the Haitian community.

“There’s no question that Haitians meet the criteria for TPS,” says Cheryl Little, executive director, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. “We urge Gov. Bush to take the next step and urge his brother, President George Bush, to make this U.S. policy. With between 200,000 and 300, 000 Haitians in his state, Gov. Bush knows this is the right thing to do and his advice should be heeded. Many lives will be saved as a result.”