Legislation just passed in the U.S. House would provide a new safety net for thousands of Haitians in the U.S. on Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.
More than 350,000 Haitians are living and working legally in the U.S. under the status — which is available to nationals from countries deemed unsafe to return to because of war, natural disasters or other crises.
The Trump administration began rolling back the designation for several nationalities last year. The new bill directs Homeland Security to resurrect it for Haitians.
“This is important not only for the Haitian communities, but for communities at large. Because the Haitians that are here, benefitting from this bill, they are throughout, they are in the fabric of this country,” said Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis, who is also a member of the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network. “We have a pretty sizable community here, they have been very solidly integrated into Arizona. I would say the majority of them are settled when it comes to their paperwork and things like that.”
Ellis estimates there are hundreds of Haitians in Arizona, many of whom could benefit from the legislation.
“But what I'm hearing is that they are still waiting,” Ellis said. “This is a great victory, but as you know, it's not over yet.”
House lawmakers — including 10 Republicans — voted to advance the bill on Thursday and it will next head to the U.S. Senate. If passed, TPS protections for Haitians would be extended for three years.
It comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a class action lawsuit challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s TPS rollback for Syrian and Haitian nationals on April 29.
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