Trump’s visit to Florida met with protests over immigration decision for Haitians
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES, JULIE BROWN AND LANCE DIXON
South Florida community leaders Tuesday decried the Trump administration’s decision to return nearly 60,000 Haitians to their quake-ravaged homeland, calling it “heartbreaking” and “shameful” while vowing that their fight has just begun.
“We all know that Haiti is not ready to absorb so many of its children,” said Gepsie Metellus, executive director of Sant La, the Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami. “This is a sad day, a very shameful day, a depressing day especially on a Thanksgiving eve where a nation of immigrants would be rebuking immigrants.”
The outrage spread to Palm Beach, too. Hundreds of Florida hospitality workers came by the busload from across the state to protest at President Donald Trump’s private beach club, Mar-a-Lago, where he was scheduled to arrive Tuesday for the Thanksgiving holiday. The union workers from Unite Here waved flags and marched in the searing sun on a bridge overlooking the resort, chanting “Shut it down.”
Their message to the president: If you deport us, many of the resorts, theme parks and hotels, like yours, won’t be able to operate.
“I have six children. My mom and dad were killed in the earthquake. My country is nothing now,’’ said Marie Partait, who immigrated fromHaiti15 years ago.
2) Carvalho: Over my dead body shall anybody remove any child from the sanctity of our classrooms
Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools says "Over my dead body shall anybody remove any child from the sanctity of our classrooms, from the sanctuaries that schools represent in our community," during a news conference with U.S. Representative Frederica Wilson and faith-based and community leaders who support extending Temporary Protected Status on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017.
Al DiazMiami Herald
A $9-an-hour dishwasher at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Partait has been living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS — the immigration status that protected her from deportation and that the Trump administration announced Monday will end on July 22, 2019. If Haitians choose to stay after that, they would face possible detention and deportation.
The decision by Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke came two weeks after she also ended the status for 2,500 Nicaraguans. She put on hold a similar decision for 57,000 Hondurans, triggering an automatic six-month extension.
But it was the decision about Haiti that incensed South Florida members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
“This announcement will just give us more fight power,” U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, who represents one of the largest constituents of Haitian-American voters in the United States, said during a Tuesday morning press conference in front of the Miami-Dade School Board. “We will continue to advocate.”
3) Haitian student pleads for TPS extension
Marlene Bastien of the Haitian Women of Miami and other local leaders are host a press conference condemning the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for thousands of Haitians.
Charles Trainor Jr.Miami Herald
Supporters of TPS in Congress have introduced at least three bills in Congress, including the bipartisanExtending Status Protection for Eligible Refugees with Established Residency Act, or ESPERER, which spells hope in French. With Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo as the chief sponsor,it would provide a path to permanent residency and American citizenship for immigrants currently living in the U.S. under TPS.
Wilson, who is a co-sponsor of Curbelo’s bill and another TPS-related bill by New York Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, said she plans to file her own legislation in the coming days. Her bill, she said, will be exclusively focused on the estimated 59,000 Haitians with TPS who meet certain requirements to adjust their status to legal permanent resident within three years of the bill’s passage.
Similar to TPS’ current provisions, the Wilson proposal will allow Haitians to legally live and work in the U.S. while their immigration application is being processed. Her office was still working on the wording of the bill Tuesday.
“It’s the only solution we can come up with to make sure that these people are not deported back to Haiti,” she said.
Immigration attorney Ira Kurzban said he’s preparing a lawsuit against DHS, which determined that the “extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake... no longer exist.” The Obama administration granted TPS for Haitians after the quake.
“The conditions are now 10 times worse. We’ve had the cholera epidemic. You had two hurricanes,” said Kurzban, arguing that DHS failed to follow the law in determining why Haiti’s TPS should not be extended, basing its decision on ideology rather than facts. “They didn’t consider all of the factors they were supposed to consider.”
Kurzban noted that prior to extending Haitians’ TPS designation for only six months in May, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which administers the TPS program, had madeinquiries into the Haitian community’s criminal history.
“We think it’s... part of the long pattern of discrimination and racism against Haitians,” he said.
But whether by lawsuit or law, many Haitian TPS holders Tuesday continued to hold out hope that Monday’s decision to cancel the protection in 18 months would be reversed.
“Maybe it’s just the beginning for Congress to work harder with DHS to fulfill our dream,” Yolnick Jeune, 45, a TPS holder said during a press conference at Haitian Women of Miami on Tuesday afternoon. “Our dream is not to go back in a country that is not in a stable condition.”
Another TPS recipient, Ronyde Ponthieux, urged Trump to think about how the decision impacts families that have invested in the country. He was joined by his 10-year-old daughter Christina, a youth leader with Haitian Women of Miami, a group that also denounced the decision.
“I have a home here. I have a house here, but I don’t have anything in Haiti,” Ponthieux said. “We all know Haiti is not ready to receive those people.”
His daughter asked the president to consider the 27,000 U.S.-born children of Haitian TPS-holders and others with TPS — particularly as the holiday season approaches.
“Before you go to sleep at night, think about what you’re doing,” she said, wearing a hall monitor sash and school uniform. “What am I going to give thanks about on Thanksgiving Day?”
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who organized the Tuesday morning press conference in Miami with Father Reginald Jean-Mary of Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti, said the decision will divide mothers from sons, fathers from daughters.
“I cannot be a superintendent of schools. I cannot be a father, I cannot be an immigrant, citizen of this nation if I did not stand with the 12,000 K-12 children impacted by TPS and the 5,700 adult learners currently enrolled in our school system equally impacted by TPS,” Carvalho said. “This is a matter of decency. This is a matter of common sense. This is matter of respect. This is a matter of compassion for those in greatest need.”
DHS has said only Congress can — and should— provide a permanent fix.
Curbelo, touting his legislation as a solution that could be much better than the TPS program for Haitians, Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans, said he is united with other members of the South Florida congressional delegation on the issue.
“Today, while we have heavy hearts, we still have hope and we will continue working together until this gets down because we are a welcoming community, a community that appreciates immigrants,” he said. “This is only a tragedy if Congress fails to act.”
Légende sous la photo
Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, along with faith-based and community leaders hold a news conference to announce support for extending Temporary Protected Status on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017. On Monday, the Trump administration said it was extending TPS for about 60,000 Haitians for 18 months until July 22, 2019 and then permanently ending the program for Haiti. AL DIAZ
ECONOMY WILL SUFFER IF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTS IMMIGRANTS FLEEING CRISES, ADVOCATES SAY
BY NICOLE RODRIGUEZON 11/9/17 AT 12:34 PM
The U.S. economy would take a huge hit if the Trump administration decides to stop offering Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to thousands of immigrants who have fled natural disasters, political persecution and pandemics, immigration advocacy groups and lawmakers said.
More than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti have been granted TPS, and its elimination would result in the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) taking a $164 billion hit over the next decade, according to the Center for American Progress. It would also result in a $6.9 billion reduction to Social Security and Medicare contributions over a decade, the Immigrant Legal Resource Centersaid.
More than 80 percent of TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti are believed to be employed, and if they could no longer perform their jobs, American employers would have to spend $967 million in hiring and training new employees, ILRC estimated.
“TPS holders are essential contributors to the U.S. economy and society, and provide critical financial support to assist recovery and stability in their home countries—both things the Trump administration should consider as it decides the future of TPS,” the Center for American Progress said.
Deadlines to renew TPS for immigrants from El Salvador and Haiti are looming. At least 60 days before TPS is set to expire, the Homeland Security secretary must review the conditions for the TPS designation and decide if protection is still warranted.
Acting Secretary Elaine Duke this month ended TPS for 2,500 recipients displaced from Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch in 1999. The formerly protected immigrants have about a year to leave the U.S.
Duke is weighing the status for 57,000 Hondurans, having extended the expiration date by six months (it had been January 5). According to The Washington Post, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly pressured Duke to expel the Hondurans, but she refused.
A decision for 50,000 Haitians, whose TPS is set to expire January 22, is expected around Thanksgiving. TPS for 195,000 recipients from El Salvador expires March 9.
Haitians received TPS in 2010 after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook the island, killing 220,000 people. Salvadorans received TPS in 2001 after a series of earthquakes left tens of thousands homeless.
The Homeland Security secretary can designate countries for temporary TPS in cases of war, famine, epidemics or natural disasters. TPS currently is granted to recipients from 13 foreign countries.
The majority of both Salvadoran and Honduran TPS holders have lived in the United States for at least 20 years, and at least 16 percent of Haitian TPS holders have lived in the U.S. for at least two decades. TPS holders from the three countries have 273,000 American-born children, according to the American Immigration Council.
Losing TPS would be devastating to those children, immigrant advocacy groups say.
“They would either face separation from their parents or be forced to relocate to a country foreign to them,” the Center for American Progress said. “Even the fear of family separation or deportation of parents has been found to have detrimental effects on children’s cognitive and psychological well-being.”
Job sectors anticipated to suffer the most from elimination of TPS are the construction, restaurant and food services, landscaping, child care, hospitality and grocery industries—all of which employ high rates of TPS holders.
Florida lawmakers have been particularly vocal in demanding Congress grant permanent residency to TPS holders from the three countries. The state stands to lose an estimated 72,000 TPS holders if protection is revoked.
Four Florida lawmakers late last month introduced bipartisan legislation to grant legal permanent resident status to more than 300,000 qualified Nicaraguan, Honduran, Salvadoran and Haitian migrants.
“The continued short-term extensions of TPS have created anxiety and uncertainty not only for these migrants and their families, but also for their employers and neighbors whose prosperity also depends on them,” Republican U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo said in an October 31 statement. “While I will continue to support extensions for Temporary Protected Status, this bipartisan legislation would give these migrants the peace of mind to continue giving back to their communities, contributing to our economy and supporting their families.”
Release Date:
November 20, 2017
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Acting Secretary Elaine Duke Announcement
On Temporary Protected Status For Haiti
WASHINGTON— Today, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke announced her decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti with a delayed effective date of 18 months to allow for an orderly transition before the designation terminates on July 22, 2019. This decision follows then-Secretary Kelly’s announcement in May 2017 that Haiti had made considerable progress, and that the country’s designation will likely not be extended past six months.
The decision to terminate TPS for Haiti was made after a review of the conditions upon which the country’s original designation were based and whether those extraordinary but temporary conditions prevented Haiti from adequately handling the return of their nationals, as required by statute. Based on all available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process, Acting Secretary Duke determined that those extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake no longer exist. Thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated.
Acting Secretary Duke met with Haitian Foreign Minister Antonio Rodrigue and Haitian Ambassador to the United States Paul Altidor recently in Washington to discuss the issue.
In 2017 alone, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted extensive outreach to the Haitian communities throughout the country. These include but are not limited to community forums on TPS, panel discussions with Haitian community organizers, stakeholder teleconferences, regular meetings with TPS beneficiaries, news releases to the Haitian community, meetings with Haitian government officials, meetings at local churches, and listening sessions.
Since the 2010 earthquake, the number of displaced people in Haiti has decreased by 97 percent. Significant steps have been taken to improve the stability and quality of life for Haitian citizens, and Haiti is able to safely receive traditional levels of returned citizens. Haiti has also demonstrated a commitment to adequately prepare for when the country’s TPS designation is terminated.
In May 2017, then-Secretary Kelly announced a limited extension for Haiti’s TPS designation, stating that he believed there were indications that Haiti – if its recovery from the 2010 earthquake continued at pace – may not warrant further TPS extension past January 2018. At the time, then-Secretary Kelly stated that his six-month extension should give Haitian TPS recipients living in the United States time to attain travel documents and make other necessary arrangements for their ultimate departure from the United States, and should also provide the Haitian government with the time it needs to prepare for the future repatriation of all current TPS recipients.
To allow for an orderly transition, the effective date of the termination of TPS for Haiti will be delayed 18 months. This will provide time for individuals with TPS to arrange for their departure or to seek an alternative lawful immigration status in the United States, if eligible. It will also provide time for Haiti to prepare for the return and reintegration of their citizens. During this timeframe, USCIS will work with the State Department, other DHS components and the Government of Haiti to help educate relevant stakeholders and facilitate an orderly transition.
Haitians with TPS will be required to reapply for Employment Authorization Documents in order to legally work in the United States until the end of the respective termination or extension periods. Further details about this termination for TPS will appear in a Federal Register notice.
From: Little Haiti Cultural Complex <
Date: November 23, 2017 at 10:38:56 AM EST
To: <
Subject: You Are Cordially Invited to Miami Art Week at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex | December 6- 10
Reply-To: Little Haiti Cultural Complex <
Earthquakes could get worse in 2018 due to Earth's slowing rotation
Every so often, Earth's rotation slows down or speeds up by a few microseconds. While the changes don't affect us directly, some scientists think recent slowdowns could be a sign of big earthquakes to come.
In a new study, researchers looked at every earthquake since 1900 that registered a magnitude of 7 or larger and saw an uptick in the number of big quakes about every 32 years. They also noticed an unusual pattern: Earth's rotation would slow about five years before every cluster of earthquakes.
The scientists can't explain for sure how the slower rotations led to more severe earthquakes yet. They suggest the small changes between Earth's crust and liquid core might be the culprit.
But considering Earth's most recent slowing period started more than four years ago, researchers say 2018 is ripe for severe earthquakes.
It's unclear just how many more there'll be, but one of the study's authors told The Guardian, "We could easily have 20 a year starting in 2018." That's more than three times the number of significant magnitude 7 or higher earthquakes so far in 2017.
Contractor for Puerto Rico Power Suspends Work, Citing Unpaid Bills
By FRANCES ROBLESNOV. 21, 2017
- With less than half the power on Puerto Rico restored two months after a deadly hurricane hit the island, the company hired to help bring back the electricity is “standing down,” it said, because it is owed tens of millions of dollars for weeks of work.
Whitefish Energy Holdings had already been fired last month by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority after widespread criticism and multiple investigations of a $300 million contract it received to help repair the island’s power grid. Even with the cancellation of the contentious contract, the company and its 500 workers were supposed to stay on the job until the end of the month.
Puerto Rico’s bankrupt electric company, known as Prepa, is behind in its payments and Whitefish cannot continue fronting the cash needed to hire subcontracted workers, Whitefish said. Dozens of line workers from Florida have already begun heading home, because the utilities they work for are nervous about payment, the company said in a letter to Prepa. It added that it hoped to resume work once the payment issue was resolved.
According to the Whitefish letter, the company has billed about $103 million — and $83 million is still outstanding.
The billing dispute comes as the amount of power generation in Puerto Rico has actually declined in the past week. More than eight weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island, toppling power poles, transmission lines and towers, the grid is performing at just 49.4 percent of its capacity. Prepa had reached 50 percent last Wednesday, before several power failures knocked out service to many communities that had seen electricity restored.
Thousands of businesses remain closed and millions of people are in the dark.
The payment dispute underscores the chaotic atmosphere at Prepa, which is $9 billion in debt and in search of a new chief executive after the last bosswas forced out on Friday.
“It may have not been the best business decision coming to work for a bankrupt island,” Whitefish’s chief executive, Andy Techmanski, told CNN.
He said the company had been assured it would be reimbursed for its work by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But FEMA distanced itselfwhen curious clauses in the contract saying it had been approved by the federal government and could not be audited were made public. FEMA’s director has vowed not to commit “one dollar” to the contract, and it is unclear whether Prepa has enough money to pay the bills itself.
A spokesman for Prepa said that the utility had stopped making payments after one of the subcontracted companies Whitefish had hired complained that it had not been paid. The subcontractor, Prepa said, asked for a freeze on Whitefish’s payments.
“Faced with this claim, Prepa had to stop the pending payments to Whitefish until the situation with the Whitefish subcontractor is clarified,” the company said in a statement. The statement did not name the subcontractor.