Extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians

WHEREAS, in 2010 under the Obama administration, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was given to undocumented Haitian immigrants due to the impact left on Haiti from the 2010 earthquake. The Department of Homeland Security (Department) determined that the safety of these Haitians would be at risk were they to return to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake; and 

WHEREAS, conditions in Haiti worsened under the battering of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Families endured destroyed homes after each natural disaster; Camps for families displaced by the earthquake and the hurricanes were overcrowded, the crime rate increased in the country, and the country experienced an epidemic of cholera; and 

WHEREAS, as a result of continuing difficult conditions on the ground in Haiti, the U.S. government extended TPS for undocumented Haitians residing in the United States five times between 2010 and 2017; and 

WHEREAS, in 2016 and 2017, U.S. diplomatic personnel cautioned the U.S. government against terminating TPS for Haitian nationals in light of continuing difficult and unsafe conditions on the ground in Haiti and the request of the Haitian government that TPS for Haitian nationals be extended.  

WHEREAS, in November 2017, under pressure from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security determined that the "extraordinary conditions" which justified the presence of TPS Haitians from the 2010 earthquake no longer exist and, on that basis, announced the termination of TPS for Haitian nationals effective July 2019; and 

WHEREAS, there are approximately 60,000 Haitians who remain in the United States under TPS since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti; and 

WHEREAS, since the 2010 earthquake, hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still in need of housing from the impact of the 2010 earthquake; and  

WHEREAS, approximately 40,000 people in Haiti remain displaced, living in temporary shelters and camps on the outskirts of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince; and 

WHEREAS, lawmakers have cited ongoing economic and political difficulties in Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is suffering from a cholera epidemic; and 

WHEREAS, those who have been under TPS since they were children now identify as American; and 

WHEREAS, approximately 27,000 U.S.-born children would suffer from the deportation of their Haitian parents who have been protected under TPS; and 

WHEREAS, Haitians protected under TPS own homes and work in industries that benefit the United States and, especially, the State of Florida; and 

WHEREAS, Haiti is in no position to smoothly absorb its TPS-affected nationals, and indeed would lose significant funds essential to survival of many families that now receive remissions from their relatives in the U.S. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the NAACP reaffirms its support of TPS for Haitians until such time as conditions on the ground in Haiti warrant the safe return of Haitian nationals; and,  

THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that all NAACP branches should immediately identify TPS-eligible individuals who are NAACP members and submit their names to the National Legal Department immediately.