Haiti Caucus in the US House of Representatives Renews Calls For US Action to Stabilize Haiti
WASHINGTON, DC – Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke and the other co-chairs of the Haiti Caucus in the United States House of Representatives, as well as their congressional colleagues, on Wednesday renewed their call for urgent US action in addressing the growing crisis in Haiti.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, co-chairs the Haiti Caucus, along with Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
The Haiti Caucus co-chairs – along with Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and California Congresswoman Barbara Lee – held a Capitol Hill press conference with colleagues and advocates to renew their calls for greater US role in stabilizing Haiti.
They said that the humanitarian, political, economic and security crises in the French-speaking, violence-wracked Caribbean country are “becoming increasingly dire.”
The policies urged by the lawmakers and advocates include: Extending and redesignating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti; halting all deportations to Haiti; disrupting arms trafficking to the country; providing urgent humanitarian relief; preventing the transfer of Haitian nationals to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; passing a new economic assistance package that creates jobs and rebuilds Haiti’s infrastructure; and facilitating the establishment of a representative transitional government led by Haitian civil society.
“Our nation owes a debt to Haiti,” Clarke said. “Repayment begins by helping ensure that a Haitian-led democracy rings true in their communities, in the United States, and across the globe.
“We must take every action necessary to secure a democratic transition led by Haiti’s civil society, and that includes providing vital humanitarian and economic aid, expediting visa processing, cracking down on illegal arms trafficking, and extending TPS and halting deportations,” she added. “Congress has a responsibility to support Haitian stability and the safety of all its people, and it holds the power to deliver the progress our Haitian neighbors at home and abroad are counting on.
“In this dire moment where the future of our beloved Caribbean ally is at risk and millions of lives remain imperiled, inaction is inexcusable,” Clarke continued.
Pressley said Haitians at home and in the Diaspora “should know that we have not forgotten them, and we will never stop fighting for the just and equitable future the Haitian people need and deserve.
“Congress and the Biden administration have a moral obligation to take action to stabilize Haiti and to save lives, including by providing humanitarian and economic assistance, extending TPS for Haiti, halting deportations, supporting a democratic transition led by Haitian civil society, and more,” she added. “If we truly believe Black lives matter, then that must include Haitian lives.”
Cherfilus McCormick said that, “In the face of the crisis in Haiti, our moral compass and international duty compel us to step forward, not just to alleviate the immediate suffering of the Haitian people, but to address the systemic problems forcing Haitians to flee their homeland.”
She said the extension and re-designation of TPS, alongside an expedited parole program and an immediate halt to deportations, are “critical first steps,” but added: “Our responsibility does not end there.”
“We must confront the root causes of migration by ensuring that Haitians can live safely and peacefully within their own borders; taking a firm stand against the trafficking of firearms from places like Florida to Haiti; holding those who perpetuate violence and instability accountable,” said Cherfilus McCormick, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stating that she has “a pulse on the challenges facing our allies around the world.
“Just as we have extended our support to them during their time of need, Haiti deserves the same treatment,” she continued. “The time for action is now – to protect lives, foster security, and promote stability where Haitians can thrive in their own country.”
Wilson warned that deporting people back to Haiti is “a cause and kiss of death,”
“There is nothing in Haiti but suffering, so we have to say to the President of the United States, ‘Stop the deportation.’ Not only expand TPS but stop the deportation and support the new government that we are putting together in Haiti,” she said.
“This government is being supported by the international community, the United States government, and the Caribbean community; it is Haitian-led,” Wilson added. “We must fund them—fund them just as we do other countries. Fund them! Fund them just like you fund other countries.”
The lawmakers were joined by Guerline Jozef, executive director of Haitian Bridge Alliance; Patrice Lawrence, executive director of UndocuBlack Network; Mary Estimé-Irvin, chairwoman of National Haitian American Elected Officials Network; Tessa Petit, executive director of Florida Immigrant Coalition; and impacted families and TPS recipients.
“It’s urgent for President Biden to re-designate and extend TPS for Haiti,” Jozef said. “Equally vital is for the United States Congress to pass an economic package supporting job creation and key infrastructure projects.
“Additionally, the Biden administration must immediately cease the deportation of Haitian nationals,” she said. “Sending people to a country plagued by insecurity and humanitarian crises is unconscionable. The disparate treatment of Black immigrants must come to an end!”
Lawrence called on the Biden administration to end “the cruelty” against Haitians, stating that “it is cruel to deport Haitian nationals while arranging for evacuation of American nationals at the same time.
“Our ask is simple, honor the dignity of Haitian people,” she said. “If Secretary (of Homeland Security) Mayorkas leads by these values, he will release Haitians from detention, extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti and stop the deportations now,” she added. “To be the change President Biden claimed to be, he must act differently from his predecessors especially as it relates to Black immigrants.”
Petit said: “The painful reality of the Haitian people is complex and multi-layered. However, the immediate steps that need to be taken can happen with the stroke of a pen.
“It is time for the Administration to redesignate and extend TPS for Haiti,” she said, adding that “it is also crucial that all deportation of Haitians be immediately halted.
“Haitians need security, justice, understanding and acceptance,” Petit continued. “That will only be possible with the will from the administration to support Haiti by addressing its root causes, through a comprehensive humanitarian and economic support that will change the future of the Haitian people.”
Estimé-Irvin said an economic plan akin to the Marshall Plan is essential to aid Haiti, “which is located less than 90 miles from our shores, in addition to humanitarian assistance and the reconsideration of TPS.”
According to Britannica, the Marshall Plan, April 1948–December 1951, was a US-sponsored program designed to rehabilitate the economies of 17 western and southern European countries in order to create stable conditions in which democratic institutions could survive.
“Like Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, Haiti is a sovereign nation that requires support,” Estimé-Irvin said.
