Sign Faith Leader Letter to End Haitian Detention and Deportation

From Church World Service (http://www.churchworldservice.org):

Last month, Hurricane Matthew decimated Haiti, a country that was already struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake. In the wake of the earthquake, the U.S. government demonstrated bold leadership to protect Haitians by designating Haitians for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2011 and halting most deportations to Haiti.

However, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew and despite the U.S. government’s promise to protect Haitians, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suddenly reversed policy and began detaining all Haitians in order to fast-track their deportation. DHS plans to deport these Haitians as soon as conditions in Haiti improve. In the meantime, thousands of Haitians languish in detention.

We are asking faith leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the values of welcome and hospitality and sign our faith leader letter urging DHS to immediately stop detaining and start protecting Haitians, including by re-designating TPS for Haitians.

Before Hurricane Matthew hit, 65,000 Haitians remained displaced by the 2010 earthquake, and thousands more sought refuge in Central and South America, as well as the United States. Since Hurricane Matthew, a life-threatening food shortage is worsening, the cholera epidemic – already the worst in the world – has been exacerbated, and hundreds of thousands of Haitian men, women, and children are in need of assistance. DHS’s detention and deportation announcement flies in the face of our American values to welcome and protect those seeking safety.

Make your voice heard and tell President Obama and DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to restore humanitarian parole to Haitians entering the United States and stop the inhumane and unjust detention of Haitians.

Right now, there is a clear need to ensure that Haitians are not detained and deported and instead have the chance to seek safety in the United States – often with family members already here. It is time to expand TPS to Haitians who arrived in the United States between the prior TPS designation and today and expand current access to family reunification. Any detention and deportation efforts would turn our backs on the Haitians we pledged to welcome, separate families, and disregard the significant damage to Haitian communities caused by multiple horrendous disasters.

As people of faith, we are called to welcome the stranger, stand with the vulnerable, and love our neighbor. Right now, we have a moral and legal obligation to Haitians seeking safety and a better future for their families.

Sign the faith leader letter today to call on the United States to uphold its commitment and keep Haitian families together.

Thank you for all your work and support!