Calling for Humanitarian Protection for Haitian Families

Immigrant Rights, Racial Justice

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION TO ADDRESS THE HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide life-saving humanitarian protection and relief to Haitian families and children. 

In the absence of much-needed relief under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), LCR urged federal authorities to exercise their discretion to grant Haitian families immigration protection through humanitarian parole, parole-in-place or deferred action. 

At present, Haitian families released from federal custody at the U.S. border continue to experience significant challenges. Many have to check-in regularly with local immigration officials while others have already been placed in removal and deportation proceedings. In light of life-threatening conditions in Haiti, immigration protection and relief is appropriate. Humanitarian relief is also appropriate based on the racialized abuse and mistreatment of Black Haitian families at the U.S. border. 

Strong precedent exists for extending humanitarian protections to Haitian families. Most recently, the federal government granted humanitarian parole to refugees fleeing Afghanistan. The federal government has also granted deferred action to DACA recipients. 

The letter to the federal government is available here

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