Uniting for a cause: Congresswoman Yvette Clark takes action on behalf of Haitians seeking asylum in the US

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Haiti Caucus co-chairs Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) are calling on the Biden administration to assist Haitians seeking asylum in the U.S.

More than 50 lawmakers signed the letter calling for changes White House to vary its position on the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean nation in this time of crisis.

“We call on the administration to regrant Haiti Temporary Protected Status (TPS), suspend deportations back to Haiti, and extend humanitarian parole to all Haitians currently detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities,” he added. letter reads.

“Additionally, we are asking your administration to end the detention of Haitian migrants facing maritime interdiction,” he added. legislators uninterrupted. “The possibility of their transfer to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and other offshore migrant detention centers is concerning and should not be explored.”

“We further ask for the provision of humanitarian assistance to help Haitians survive these tragically traumatic and difficult times,” states the letter, which was also supported by 140 people advocacy groups and organizations.

What was happening in Haiti? According to a co-worker anthropology Professor Greg Beckett: “What we are seeing in Haiti has been increasing since the 2010 earthquake.”

However, tensions became particularly high after the assassination of democratically elected president Jovenel Moïse in 2021. His death left a power vacuum, and Ariel Henry, who was prime minister during the previous term, President“took power with the support of several nations, including the US”

There were few elections in the Caribbean nation under Henry’s rule, which Henry tried in charge on “logistical problems or violence”. Protests broke out and[b]When Henry announced last 12 months that the elections could be postponed again until 2025, armed groups already lively in the capital Port-au-Prince escalated violence.” NBC News reports.

“January and February were the most brutal months of the recent crisis, with thousands of people killed, injured and raped,” she said. Beckett. According to a United Nations report in January 2024, “more than 8,400 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2023, an increase of 122% compared to 2022.”

Henry resigned last week and a nine-member transition council, with seven voting members, is predicted to assist set the recent cabinet’s agenda. It may even appoint an interim electoral commission, which will probably be needed before the elections scheduled for 2026 happen. They also intend to ascertain a National Security Council,” he added. Al Jazeera reports.