RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake ravaged Haiti, claiming up to 316,000 lives and displacing more than 1.5 million people; and
WHEREAS, The earthquake injured about 300,000 people and left 3.3 million facing food shortages. With more than 80 percent of rural housing severely affected, hundreds of thousands of newly homeless people were forced to live in scattered tent cities; and
WHERAS, There are still about 55,000 people living in camps and makeshift camps throughout Haiti, in unsanitary conditions due to displacement caused by the earthquake
WHEREAS, Haiti's location makes it especially vulnerable to natural crises, including hurricanes and earthquakes, and a lack of adequate infrastructure amplifies the effects of these disasters; and
WHEREAS, According to the United Nations 2017 Global Humanitarian Overview, 2016's Hurricane Matthew was a tragic demonstration of Haiti's vulnerability to sudden-onset disaster, making humanitarian assistance a necessity for more than 1.4 million Haitians; and
WHEREAS, The Haitian recovery mission has been a particularly difficult one, made harder by a string of devastating natural disasters that have fueled ongoing famine and poverty crises, given rise to a deadly cholera epidemic, and quashed Haiti's continued efforts to rebuild; and
WHEREAS, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted by the United States to eligible nationals of TPS designated countries; and
WHEREAS, During the temporary designation period, eligible nationals may remain in the United States and may not be detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) based solely on immigration status, and may obtain employment and travel authorization; and
WHEREAS, The Secretary of DHS has the authority to provide TPS to immigrants present in the United States who are unable to safely return to their home country due to an ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and t...
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