I am writing to you again to plead for your help regarding the 500,000+ people living in our country that came originally from Haiti and are about to have their legal status (TPS) pulled out from under them. One of these people is my own adopted son. He came here as a freshmen in high school on a student visa in 2013, but quickly became a beloved member of the family. I am a widow, and adopted this young man in 2016. However, in spite of having a Georgia birth certificate and an American mother, his immigration status did not change because he was over the age of 16 at the time of the adoption. After graduating from college, he applied for TPS in 2022 as it was his only option to retain legal status. It still is his only option, certainly for the next 2 months, as getting an employer to sponsor employees for work visas is a very expensive and time-intensive process for the employer, and he has no blood relatives here in the US to sponsor him.
I am asking not only for my son, but for all those who were so grateful to have the opportunity to come to the United States, escaping the hell that exists in their beloved home country. These are not criminals. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, coworkers, clients, teachers, students. They are business owners, contributing to our economy. Their return to Haiti will leave a gaping hole here in the US for those who know and love them.
Additionally, their lives will be in danger. The gangs in Haiti even now are targeting deportees for kidnapping or recruiting into their folds. And of course, the people of Haiti are already suffering due to the lack of government, medical services, job opportunities and most critically, food. I regularly send money to Haiti because otherwise, people would starve. Please, tell me what I can do and what you can do to prevent this catastrophic event from occurring.
