(LAWRENCE, N.Y.) - Amidst a climate of ongoing violent turmoil in Haiti, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages (D - Lawrence) is urging President Biden to put an end to the accelerated rate of expulsions and restore Temporary Protected Status for asylum seekers.
Already, more than 1,800 Haitians have been expelled since February under the guise of Title 42 of the Public Health Act - a number that exceeds the total number in the entire calendar year of 2020. In a Wednesday, May 12 letter, Legislator Solages warned U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that those who are being forced to leave the United States are being placed in grave danger.
“President Jovenel Moïse’s usurpation of powers and continuing rule in the face of opposition by Haitian citizens has led to grave political, social and economic conditions in Haiti,” Legislator Solages, who is of Haitian heritage, writes. “Specifically, there are reports of assassinations, massacres and daily kidnappings, leaving Haitians hiding in their homes, afraid to even send their kids to school. I believe that these conditions warrant that the Department of Homeland Security re-designate Temporary Protected Status for Haiti.”
Citing the low number of cases of COVID-19 in Haiti compared and comparatively low risk of Haitian nationals introducing COVID-19 into the United States, Legislator Solages implored Majority Leader Schumer and Rep. Meeks to work with President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately change course on the treatment of Haitian nationals and asylum seekers.
“The United States has a moral duty to stop expelling Haitians who face dangers of political unrest, corruption and rampant violence,” Legislator Solages concludes.