Green card applications for refugees and asylees suspended by Trump administration | DOCUMENTED NY
The move adds more delays and uncertainty for individuals who have already proven they face persecution in their home countries.
by Guest Author Apr. 04, 2025
THE HAITIAN TIMES
The Trump administration has paused green card processing for refugees and asylees, citing additional security screening needs. Experts say the shift signals a broader tightening of immigration under Trump, creating longer wait times and more uncertainty for vulnerable populations.
The Trump administration has quietly halted the processing of green card applications for certain individuals, including immigrants granted refugee or asylum status, citing that “additional screening and vetting” was needed to identify “potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns,” CBS News reported Tuesday.
According to the report, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has paused the adjustment of status process for refugees and asylees seeking lawful permanent residency. These individuals have already demonstrated that they are either unwilling or unable to return to their home countries due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Experts see this as part of the Trump administration’s increasing vetting of immigrants.
“What we might be seeing in this is a kind of reorientation of USCIS,” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute‘s U.S. immigration policy program.
The move by the administration adds further delays and uncertainty to an already lengthy and complex process for those who seek safety in the U.S.
“Under the Biden administration, there had been really record high levels of processing of applications, including for green cards and naturalization, it was prioritizing adjudicating these applications,” Bush-Joseph told Documented. “Now under Trump, we’re seeing this focus on vetting and fraud detection, and that comes in coordination with restrictions on access to protection and status in the United States,” she added.
This week, the Trump administration announced it will revoke temporary legal status for roughly 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans as part of the CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela) humanitarian parole program. Last month, the administration also paused all immigration applications from Latin America and Ukraine under Biden-era programs.
Bush-Joseph noted that it remains unclear whether this specific policy change will affect other green card applicants. However, she pointed out that the Trump administration’s actions, which have included firing probationary employees and encouraging retirements across federal agencies like USCIS, could reduce the agency’s workforce and lead to processing delays.
“At the end of the day, in a lot of these categories for immigration benefits, the amount of personnel and resources dedicated to adjudication determines how quickly these move under any administration,” she said.
National Center of Haitian Apostolate
REFLECTIONS FOR THE 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT- YEAR C -April 6, 2025
Isaiah 43, 16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3, 8-14, John 8, 1-11
Msgr. Pierre André Pierre
The church continues calling to conversion. God saves those who are lost. After the parable of the prodigal son last week by Luke, today the Gospel of John presents the story of the prodigal daughter. We are in for a surprise. We see Jesus put to the test by the same enemies, the scribes and the Pharisees. This time, they challenged the Lord to pass Judgment on a woman cut in the act of adultery throwing her at his feet in the Temple area. The Law says that she must be stoned to death. What do you say? The dilemma is either the Law of Moses or Jesus. Stunningly his reaction is one of infinite mercy. To the poor wretch of a woman, he says: “I do not condemn you. Go and sin ne more.”
The accusers went away one by one, beginning with the oldest and ending with the last. To the greedy, those with depraved habits, the unjust, the wicked, Jesus today says the same: “Go but sin no more.” Oh! Yes, please sin no more! Accept repentance! You as well, beloved, my brother or my sister!
Jesus calls evil evil and condemns it. For Jesus's followers, not everything goes. He didn't come to justify our sins but to free us from them, to cleanse us, and to teach us a new way of living. Jesus condemned adultery and said further in Matthew 5:28, "Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart."
Let us understand clearly: sin is an evil we must fight with all our strength. But the sinner is someone who must be healed and saved. He needs help to find his place in the Christian community. The Christian life is a daily battle against the forces of evil. But in this battle, we are not alone. Jesus is with us to show us the way.
According to the prophet Isaiah, God “put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for his chosen people to drink:” the water of baptism and confession, the waters of repentance and forgiveness, and the rivers of his mercy. Saint Paul invites us to consider everything a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus, the Lord.” “I consider all things as rubbish that I may gain Christ.” This season of Lent calls us to rediscover the power and beauty Christ offers. The time has come to strain forward to possess HIM.
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World Health Day spotlight: St. Damien Pediatric Hospital fights to stay open as gang violence shuts down Haiti’s healthcare system
Despite insecurity, the hospital delivered 1,260 babies and performed 131 surgeries in 2024 but now faces budget shortfalls, prompting officials to call for urgent aid.
by Juhakenson Blaise Apr. 04, 2025
THE HAITIAN TIMES
Overview:
As gang violence forces more than 20 hospitals to close, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital in Tabarre, Port-au-Prince, remains one of the few still operating. However, with shortages of medicine, food and hospital capacity, officials are calling for international support to keep the facility running.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — As gang violence paralyzes Haiti’s capital and its surrounding areas, forcing more than 20 hospitals to close, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital in Tabarre, a few miles northeast of downtown Port-au-Prince, remains among the few still operating. But the hospital—known for treating childhood illnesses, performing lifesaving surgeries, and caring for high-risk pregnancies—is now at risk itself. Budget shortfalls, dwindling supplies and the worsening security crisis have pushed the facility to the brink, leading its officials to issue an urgent plea for help.
“Solidarity knows no borders. If people outside help us, it means we are not alone in facing these challenges,” Dr. Pascale Gassant, medical director of St. Damien Hospital, told The Haitian Times..
On the occasion of World Health Day, on April 7, Haiti’s healthcare system is on the brink of complete collapse. It has been devastated by gang violence, with many hospitals looted and shut down.
Before the resurgence in escalation last month, over 20 public and private medical centers had already ceased operations, including critical hospitals such as the following:
- State University Hospital of Haiti (HUEH), also known as l’Hôpital General
- Saint-François de Sales Hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince
- Dash Hospital in Delmas 18
- Croix-des-Bouquets Health Center
- Sainte-Catherine Labouré Hospital in Cité Soleil
- Aurore du Bel-Air Health Center
- Saint-Martin 2 Health Center (Rue Saint-Martin)
- Saint-Martin 1 Health Center (Delmas 3 and 18)
- Sanatorium Hospital in Carrefour-Feuilles
- Bon-Repos Community Hospital
- Beudet Community Hospital
- Pernier Health Center
In December 2024, gangs attacked the State University Hospital, killing two journalists and injuring at least seven people in a shootout. Doctors Without Borders—Médecins Sans Frontières—which reopened some of its health centers across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, suspended its activities again in March 2025 after armed attacks on its staff.
Meanwhile, the roads to the few remaining hospitals, including St. Damien, are increasingly dangerous, making it nearly impossible for patients and medical staff to travel safely.
“We are determined. Every day, we risk our lives. But we need help,” said Dr. Gassant.
“Solidarity knows no borders. If people outside help us, it means we are not alone in facing these challenges.”
Dr. Pascale Gassant, medical director of St. Damien Hospitalnormal
How St. Damien fights to save lives
Founded in 1989 and operated by the nonprofit Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs, French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters,” St. Damien is Haiti’s only pediatric hospital providing full-scale services, including childhood cancer treatments and maternal care. It remains a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable Haitian families.
St. Damien Hospital treats approximately 50,000 patients annually. With 224 beds, the hospital has expanded its maternity and neonatology services since the 2010 earthquake. It provides emergency care and treats conditions such as malnutrition, dehydration, and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV, as well as non-infectious diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The hospital also supports abandoned children and offers social assistance to patients in need.
Despite gang threats, 500 doctors, nurses and other staff continue working at the hospital, treating children and mothers under extreme conditions.
In 2024 alone, St. Damien recorded the following results:
- 1,260 births
- 131 pediatric surgeries
- 46 new cancer cases treated
- 100+ children seen daily in the outpatient clinic
- 500 children vaccinated each month
The hospital’s 25-bed neonatology unit manages about 50% of Haiti’s infant mortality cases, while its oncology center treats nearly all pediatric cancers, except brain tumors.
However, funding shortages now threaten its malnutrition treatment programs, maternity and neonatology care and mother-to-child HIV prevention programs.
“We believe in a better future. It is essential to always have hope. Without hope, life loses its meaning. Lespwa fè viv,” said Dr. Gassant. “Despite the insecurity, we must continue our mission for children and mothers.”
“I could have died, but St. Damien diagnosed and treated my serious heart disease.”
Davie, a former patient of St. Damien Pediatric Hospital
A call for urgent support
St. Damien is struggling to sustain its operations, with United States aid to Haiti frozen and USAID funds stalled. The hospital uses the occasion of World Health Day on April 7 to raise awareness and seek emergency funding.
“If St. Damien didn’t exist, children and mothers would die,” said Dr. Jenny Edouard, former HIV/AIDS program coordinator now living in the U.S.
As diseases spread, malnutrition worsens, and violence escalates, Haiti’s healthcare system is collapsing. Without immediate support, even the last remaining hospitals may not survive.
“We are used to crises, but the challenges we face today are greater than ever,” said Dr. Gassant. “Hope must be preserved so we can continue our mission.”
The crisis at St. Damien is part of a broader humanitarian disaster in Haiti. Since 2022, over 82,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported, and 1.6 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, worsening malnutrition, and the spread of diseases. Despite these challenges, hospitals like St. Damien continue to operate but face overwhelming obstacles, including limited supplies, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing insecurity.
UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations struggle to deliver necessary supplies via an airlift from Panama, while the country’s paralyzed infrastructure further exacerbates the crisis. These challenges threaten to push Haiti deeper into a humanitarian disaster.