TPS for Haiti - up for review
Dear Secretary Noem,
I am writing regarding the upcoming review of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti. I know that the most recent designation of TPS for Haitians is ending in August of 2025, and I am writing to ask you to extend that designation.
I am an American citizen and visited Haiti often from 2012 to 2018. The people I met were warm and loving; they love Jesus and persevere through hardship. However, the assassination of President Moise and the overtake of the country by gangs have made life in Haiti perilous.
I know many Haitians that now live here in the United States. They are my friends and family. The people from Haiti that are here in the United States seek to escape the violence that makes the streets of Haiti perilous, and prevents people from working or going to school. They are here to escape a scarcity of jobs, food, medical care. Here in the United States, they have assimilated into our culture, contributed to the workforce, paid taxes, and participated in their communities. They are not criminals. They came here to seek a better life for themselves and their children, while also supporting their families back in Haiti.
A young woman still in Haiti was recently forced to flee her home with her son to escape being shot by gangs. The boy has a serious medical condition; the mother was forced to leave so quickly that she was not able to gather any of their personal belongings, not even the boy's medications. This story is not news in Haiti. It is day-to-day life, filled with fear, hunger, and no hope for the future.
Ending TPS would be a death sentence for many. If returned, those who have family here in the US would be targeted as kidnap victims. And Haiti is in no position to receive that many people back, with no housing, jobs, or food.
I plead with you to extend the current TPS designation for Haiti.
Kathleen Barrett - Georgia
Dear Ms. Barrett,
Thank you for contacting me to discuss the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
As you may know, Haiti has been experiencing increased economic difficulties and gang violence after the assassination of its president and a catastrophic earthquake. My heart goes out to all Haitians and Haitian-Americans in Georgia and around the world as they cope with these issues. That is why I am supportive of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which will bring thousands of law enforcement officers from Kenya and other partners and additional security assistance to support the people of Haiti. You may be glad to know that on May 22, 2024, I joined a bicameral group of my colleagues in sending a letter to leadership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee calling on them to release $40 million in funding for the MSS.
I also believe that we must ensure that U.S. policy does not exacerbate the crisis in Haiti. That is why on September 26, 2024, I joined a bicameral group of my colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden Administration recommending steps to combat firearms trafficking from the United States into Haiti. Specifically, it urges the Administration to increase resources for cargo inspection, localize export control personnel in the Caribbean, develop a strategy to trace more firearms recovered in Haiti, expand its efforts to identify potential traffickers and intermediaries in the United States, and coordinate an interagency approach to stop firearms trafficking into Haiti.
We must ensure Haitians fleeing environmental and economic disasters are treated with empathy and humanity. As a man of faith and champion for human rights, I also believe we should keep families together, and institute a reliable system to process legitimate requests from asylum seekers and refugees. As refugees and migrants come into United States custody, I support vetting each individual and processing their requests in the confines of U.S. immigration law in a timely manner. On March 18, 2025, I joined 87 of my colleagues in sending a bicameral letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled. Last Congress, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to the President requesting that his Administration take a revamped approach to achieving a political solution to Haiti's crisis that involves transitioning away from Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Last year, I had also successfully urged the Biden Administration to extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti.
In the 117th Congress, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to former Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas expressing outrage and disappointment over the cruel treatment of Haitians at our border and their summary deportations. In this letter, we called on the Administration to establish a reintegration program for returnees and to work with partners in the region to ensure that Haitians living outside of their homeland are afforded access to protection, assistance, and information about their rights. We also called on the administration to help lay a foundation for Haiti to emerge from its constitutional crisis through robust consultation with and support for a political dialogue with a broad range of civil society and political actors. I believe it is vital that we address the needs of Haitians seeking asylum and find immediate solutions to stabilize Haiti.
I am also committed to addressing the economic crisis in Haiti. On February 28, 2025, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in reintroducing the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Extension Act. This legislation would extend a trade benefits program for apparel products produced in Haiti from 2025 to 2035.
Please know that I remain committed to supporting the Haitian people and Georgians who have been affected by the situation in Haiti. I will be sure to keep your views in mind when considering any legislation related to supporting Haiti.
Thank you again for reaching out to me. Please do not hesitate to do so again in the future if I may be of assistance to you or your family.
Sincerely,
Reverend Raphael Warnock
United States Senator