Arlington, VA—The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) applauds the decision of the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians residing in the U.S. This important decision extends deportation protections and work permits for 54,000 Haitian immigrants.

Haiti’s downward spiral into political instability, corruption, lawlessness, civil unrest and protracted violence poses a serious threat to Haitians seeking to return home to their country. Recent actions by Haiti’s President to derail the new constitutional process further threatens the stability of our southern neighbor.

TPS is an important tool for the U.S. government to grant temporary relief to foreign nationals in the U.S. who are unable to return to their countries due to: 1) an ongoing armed conflict; 2) an environmental disaster; and 3) extraordinary and temporary conditions in the foreign state that prevent its nationals from returning home safely.