Give Haitians Temporary Protected Status now (Sun-Sentinel editorial)

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board
April 21, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an important step when she indicated the U.S. government's willingness to review its deportation policy for Haitians.

Immigrant advocates, whose calls for temporary protected status for Haitians fell on deaf ears during the Bush years, were greatly encouraged and are hoping the Obama administration will do the right thing ...

The current policy, which now has 30,000 people in detention in the United States, is not in the best interest of Haiti, or communities like South Florida, which are forced to provide services to children left behind.

It would make more sense to grant Haitian immigrants already here temporary protected status, allowing them to work here legally until their country stabilizes. Such a policy would not only benefit Haitian families in this country, but those in Haiti, who rely on relatives for remittances ...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-haitians-deportations-m04210sbapr21,0,7963505.story

Don't know why it they couldn't have managed it during _Bush, but then we know how well decency, human dignity went over during that time. Completely disregarded.

Makes complete sense to give struggling people a break. At least give them the opportunities gleefully extended to a nation of people coming from a country far, FAR better off economically, socially than what has finally happened to Haiti under the crushing burden of extreme exploitation in addition to sanctions and inflicted-from-without government upheaval.

Heartless to rape and murder people then throw away anything they could cling to, to avoid drowning altogether. Give them the haven extended to Cubans. Don't make Americans witness, once more, the spectacle of Cubans arriving from the water, being ushered into the country, given their array of government handouts from instant free legal status, social security, work visa, instant access to US taxpayer-subsidized Section 8 housing, food stamps, welfare, financial assistance for education, medical treatment, etc., etc., etc. while at the same time, HAITIANS, arriving in exactly the same manner are instantly rounded up forcibly, thrown into jail, and forced back to the very place they had to escape, as they could no longer sustain their lives there.

Hope Sun-Sentinel will continue to reiterate the need for equal treatment for Haitian people suffering unbearable hardship.