MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marleine Bastien worries for Haitian community members with TPS designation who are currently awaiting removal orders.
“They are not criminals,” she said. “They cannot have TPS if they have a record. These are people who are the most seriously vetted in the US. They are investing, paying taxes.”
This at the Archdiocese of Miami and Catholic Health Services sound the alarm, saying they would be directly impacted by the potential deportation of a large portion of their workforce.
“(They are) critical to our workforce, they are lawfully here in this country and not part of the so-called ‘worst of the worst,’” said Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski. “They are prominent in our health care industry, in hospitals, nursing homes and home health care. We need to protect the human dignity of the Haitians. We should not force Haitians back to a crisis or create another crisis here by forcing them out of their jobs.”
Wenski went on to ask the Trump administration to re-examine and extend TPS for people from Haiti.
“It is not only the right thing to do, it makes sense business wise, economic wise,” he said.
Many Haitian TPS recipients are working in the county’s healthcare system, particularly in nursing homes, home health care and cemeteries
“It is mostly our patients, our frail and vulnerable, that will feel the impact the most,” said Dr. Brian Kriedrowski with Catholic Health Services. “This trickles all the way down to the bedside.”
The U.S. designated Haiti for TPS, which offers work permits and deportation protections, following a determination that conditions in the country prevented nationals from returning safely.
It was terminated, according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, after it was determined Haiti no longer qualifies following a review of country conditions.
This is despite the U.S. State Department having a Level 4 “Do Not Travel Advisory” in place for the gang-riddled nation “due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care. Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjacking, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”
“That means that it’s the worst place, one of the most dangerous place in the world today,” said Bastien. “They are still here because their nations are living hell, and sending them back there, like it is the case in Haiti, will put their lives and the lives of the U.S. born children in grave, grave danger. You’re talking about little girls as young as five years old being gang raped in front of their parents. So suffice to say that families are scared to death.”
The Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center in North Miami also released a statement on Tuesday in support of the Haitian people being directly impacted by the loss of TPS.
“Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center stands in unwavering solidarity with Haitian families facing fear and uncertainty about their future,” the statement read, in part.
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