Protect Haitian Immigrants #RenewTPSNow!

Jesse Hamilton

May 16, 2017

Haiti is still rebuilding in the wake of natural disasters that have killed hundreds of thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people in recent years. In our country, that would be something on the order of 45 million Americans displaced. It is under these circumstances, rebuilding from disasters of truly shocking magnitude, that the Obama administration thoughtfully granted and thereafter extended Temporary Protected Status to tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants living in the United States.

The Trump administration’s threat of withdrawing this status is cruel and the pursuit of this policy would be a profound injustice. I stand in resolute opposition to the Trump administration’s continued unjust efforts to target yet another vulnerable population for inhumane mistreatment.

My office will continue to be a Sanctuary Senate office, connecting immigrants to resources like free legal representation; our Immigrant Defense Coalition’s toll free hotline for legal assistance is 1-800-213-6385. I will stand with colleagues, advocates, and New Yorkers of good conscience across our state. We will not permit Trump to trample the rights of our friends and neighbors.