By Nelson A. King
The Joe Biden administration
has announced the automatic
extension of Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) designation
for Haiti.
The US Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) said
on Thursday that the designation
is also for El Salvador,
Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua
and Sudan.
“TPS beneficiaries from
these six countries will retain
their status, provided they continue
to meet all the individual
requirements for TPS eligibility,”
said DHS in a statement,
stating that the automatic
extension of TPS-related documentation
includes Employment
Authorization Documents
(EADs) through Dec. 31, 2022.
“Eligible individuals, whose
TPS under the Haiti designation
is presently continued by
court orders and this notice, are
strongly encouraged to apply for
Haiti TPS under the recently
announced new designation,”
DHS added. “This will ensure
their TPS will continue if the
courts end their injunctions.
In addition, DHS said eligible
individuals who do not apply for
the new Haiti TPS designation
during the initial registration
period may be prohibited from
filing a late initial registration
during any subsequent extension
of the designation, if they
do not meet certain conditions.
“This extension ensures continued
compliance with various
court orders issued by federal
district courts in the Ramos,
Bhattarai, and Saget lawsuits,”
said DHS, adding that current
beneficiaries under the TPS
designations for Haiti, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua
and Sudan do not need to
pay a fee or file any application
to maintain their TPS and have
their TPS-related documentation
automatically extended
through Dec. 31, 2022.
DHS said beneficiaries with
interest in a new EAD, with the
expiration date of Dec. 31, 2022,
displayed on the EAD, must
file Form I-765, Application for
Employment Authorization.
“A Federal Register notice
explaining how TPS beneficiaries,
their employers, and benefit
granting agencies may determine
which EADs are automatically
extended for those beneficiaries,
will be published soon,”
DHS said.
In late July, a major Haitian
Caribbean Life, S 6 EPTEMBER 17-23, 2021
group in Miami welcomed an
announcement by the Biden
administration that it will publish
in a Federal Register notice
information about how to register
for TPS for Haiti.
DHS Secretary Alejandro N.
Mayorkas previously announced
an 18-month designation of
Haiti for TPS on May 22.
Caribbean American Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke,
founding co-chair of the United
States House of Representatives’
Caribbean and Haiti Caucuses,
had dispatched a letter
to President Biden urging him
to “prioritize the needs of Haiti
and members of the Haitian
Diaspora.”
Clarke – the daughter of
Jamaican immigrants, who represents
the largely Caribbean
9th Congressional District in
Brooklyn, – copied the letter to
US Secretary of State Antony J.
Blinken and Mayorkas.
The letter was also signed by
House Haiti Caucus co-chairs
Congressmembers Andy Levin,
Val Demings, Ayanna Pressley
and Mondaire Jones; House Caribbean
Caucus co-chairs Congressmembers
Maxine Waters
and Stacy Plaskett); and Members
of the House Haiti and Caribbean
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. Photo by Nelson A. King
Caucus, congressmembers
Frederica Wilson, Adriano
Espaillat, Sheila Jackson Lee,
Grace Meng, Darren Soto and
Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
“As founding co-chair of both
the House Caribbean and Haiti
Caucuses, I have worked closely
with my colleagues to insist the
administration prioritize the
needs of Haiti and members of
the Haitian Diaspora that who
call America home,” wrote
Clarke, who is also chair of the
US Congressional Black Caucus
Taskforce on Immigration.
“Presently, Haiti is at an
inflection point, and we must
work together to promote peace
and a Haitian-led democratic
government,” the letter urged.
“This letter outlines our urgent
concerns and shares our collective
caucus priorities regarding
Haiti’s continued deteriorating
situation.
Biden continues TPS for Haitians