"Temporary" Protected Status for Haitian illegal aliens pushed by profiteers (Haiti earthquake)

[TPS has been approved; see the update below]

Yesterday, Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security suspended repatriations of illegal aliens from Haiti; that makes some sense as long as it's actually temporary. What doesn't make sense are the calls from some to give "Temporary Protected Status" in the U.S. to Haitian illegal aliens. The word "temporary" is generally a misnomer as that status is renewed over and over.

TPS would be an infected band-aid that wouldn't fix Haiti's structural problems and in some cases would result in importing Haiti's problems into the U.S. It would also result in brain-draining that country of its more energetic citizens, making things easier for corrupt Haitian leaders. These pushing TPS are at root simply self-serving: they're interested in little more than obtaining political power. They're thinking only of themselves instead of trying to solve problems; they're only making the long-term situation worse.

First, Hillary Clinton of the State Department seems to be implying that the Obama administration will grant some form of TPS (link):

"Well, we have, as you know, many Haitian Americans. Most are here legally. Some are not documented. And the Obama administration is taking steps to make sure that people are given some temporary status so that we don’t compound the problem that we face in Haiti."

From Julia Preston of the New York Times (link):

Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, both Democrats, and (Representatives Lincoln Diaz Balart and Mario Diaz Balart) of south Florida, both Republicans, as well as John C. Favalora, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Miami... "If this is not a slam-dunk case for temporary protected status, I don’t know what is," said Kevin Appleby, a spokesman for the bishops. He said the status would allow Haitian immigrants here to work here and send money back to relatives in Haiti trying to recover from the quake.

Appleby's proposal is at heart immoral: he would encourage Haiti to become even more dependent on the U.S. than they already are and he would embed that dependence in their society, instead of encouraging them to develop their own commerce.

The letter from Senators encouraging TPS is here; in addition to Gillibrand and Schumer, the signatories are: John Kerry, Paul Kirk, Jeff Bingaman, Bill Nelson, Dick Durbin, Frank Lautenberg, Chris Dodd, Bob Menendez, Pat Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Tom Harkin, Bob Casey, and Bernie Sanders.

From NC Aizenman of the Washington Post (link):

(The Florida politicians including Ileana Ros Lehtinen) are among several leaders holding separate news conferences in Miami on Thursday to draw further attention to the issue. Others include the head of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, who will be accompanied by Edwidge Danticat, a celebrated Haitian author and winner of a MacArthur Fellow "genius" grant. Twenty-six refugee agencies also sent a joint letter Thursday urging Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to consider TPS for Haitians, and the National Council of La Raza released a statement to the same effect.

That also contains Mark Krikorian seeming to support TPS in this case, as well as this:

"When somebody works here they can support up to 10 times that number back in Haiti. So we're talking about supporting hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti at no cost to U.S. taxpayers," (Steve Forester, a Miami-based advocate with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti) said.

Obviously, he's either trying to mislead people or he can't think things through. Many or most of the jobs they'd be doing would be jobs that Americans who are drawing unemployment insurance could be doing, and much of the labor those Haitians would be doing in the U.S. would be heavily subsidized.

Per this:

"We are considering all alternatives available to us in extending a helping hand to Haiti," (Alejandro Mayorkas of the USCIS) said. He confirmed those considerations include temporary protected status for Haitians.

And, Reform Immigration for America is also promoting TPS with a petition drive: reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/blog/
hatians-need-your-help-and-temporary-protective-status

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society has joined with several other groups in calling for TPS:
hias.org/en/post/25/hias-urges-grant-temporary-protective-status-

Likewise with Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform:
faithandimmigration.org/blog/petitioning-haitian-relief

UPDATE: Richard Lugar, FAIR, Center for Immigration Studies, Casa de Maryland, and Frank Sharry's America's Voice all support TPS, with Dick Lugar saying:

"It is in the foreign policy interest of the United States and a humanitarian imperative of the highest order to have all people of Haitian descent in a position to contribute towards the recovery of this island nation."

See the comments above.

1/15/10 UPDATE: Janet Napolitano has now approved TPS, but only for those illegal aliens who were here on Tuesday. How they'll be able to tell isn't clear; some people will no doubt try to provide fake documentation showing they were here at that time.

Comments

ok but it will never work haiti is way to few gone to help the people and the people still act like some newly freed slave and that country has been around for 200 years and has done nothing for its self so how can you help that people? maybe send and haiti boys here? read the 2007 renew america thing on the NAFTA And the KGB Plan.

I could understand it for refugees, or Haitians with some similar designation, but not for illegals.

Once granted has TPS ever been rescinded? And if they're basically not willing to vigorously enforce immigration law now, e.g. they routinely release illegals who've been arrested with a 'promise to appear', and apprehension and deportation is generally said to be impractical, how do they intend to enforce any withdrawal of TPS for Haitians? Obviously if TPS is granted they'll come out of the woodwork to claim it, non-Haitians as well of course, knowing they'll never have to leave.

we will see 3 million haitian here within 3 to 6 months.

FAIR also supported TPS, BUT with important caveats, such as a definite end date (which we know will likely melt away like a slurpee on hot asphalt).

_"It is in the foreign policy interest of the United States..._ Ludicrous.