Biden extends temporary status for Haitian nationals

SAN DIEGO - The Biden administration said Monday that it would expand temporary legal status for Haitians already living in the United States, determining conditions in the Caribbean nation were too dangerous for their forced return.

The Homeland Security DepartmentHomeland Security Department said Haitians who were in the United States on November 6 could apply for Temporary Protected Status, and those who were granted it last year could stay an additional 18 months until Aug. 3, 2024.

The administration has extended temporary status for several countries and expanded or introduced it for Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Cameroon, and Venezuela, reversing a Trump-era trend to cut back protections for those already in the United States. TPS, which typically comes with authorization to work, can be extended in increments up to 18 months for countries that have been hit by natural disasters or civil strife.

Haiti has seen more brazen attacks by gangs that have grown stronger since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Mo se. More children are being taken seriously because of a cholera outbreak in the country, which is claiming more lives due to a surge in malnutrition.

The conditions in Haiti, including socioeconomic challenges, political instability, and gang violence and crime exacerbated by the environmental disaster, compelled the humanitarian relief we are providing today, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Homeland Security didn't say how many Haitians are expected to benefit from the expansion. An estimated 40,000 people were granted TPS in 2011 — extended last month to June 30, 2024 — after a devastating earthquake in Haiti the previous year. Another 3,200 who got TPS last year are covered under Monday s 18 month extension.

There has been an exodus to South America, Mexico and the United States because of the chaos in Haiti. The U.S. flew many Haitians back home after about 16,000 predominantly Haitian migrants camped in the Texas border town of Del Rio in September 2021. The administration used a Trump-era rule that suspends the right to seek asylum on the basis of preventing the spread of COVID - 19.

Deportations to Haiti seem to have waned as conditions have deteriorated. Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks deportations, said Monday that the administration hasn't had a deportation flight to Haiti since Sept. 6.

Authorities said that Haitians who enter the United States after Monday s announcement will be ineligible for TPS, though that may do little to discourage some. In October, U.S. authorities arrested 6,700 people along the Mexican border, a number that has risen every month since September 2021, making Haitians one of the most common nationalities to cross the border illegally.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for an expansion and extension last week, said more than 100,000 Haitians will be eligible for temporary status under Monday s announcement.

He said that he believes that temporary protection is crucial for Haitian nationals in the United States as Haiti continues to face extreme physical conditions and deteriorating political instability.

Guerline Jozef said that we rejoice and celebrate with our Haitian siblings and stand undeterred in solidarity as we continue to work with and for the Haitian and Haitian-American communities.

More than 1 million people are eligible for TPS under Biden, more than double the figure under Trump, according to the Cato Institute, which advocates for more open immigration laws.