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 temporary conditions that prevent safe return. An individual is only eligible for TPS benefits if he or she: (i) establishes continuous physical presence in the United States since the date specified by DHS; (ii) is not subject to one of the criminal, security-related or other bars to TPS; and (iii) applies for TPS benefits in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS, A country's TPS designation takes effect on the date the designation is published and may last between six and 18 months, with the possibility of an extension. Once the Secretary of DHS terminates a TPS designation, TPS beneficiaries revert to the same immigration status they had prior to TPS or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. government added Haiti to the list of TPS designation countries after the 2010 earthquake; and
WHEREAS, According to the Migration Policy Institute, there were 676,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States in 2015; Haitians account for less than 2 percent of the U.S. foreign-born population; and
WHEREAS, More than 58,000 Haitian immigrants already in the United States prior to the 2010 earthquake have been granted TPS, which provides work authorization and relief from deportation; and
WHEREAS, The future for tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants remains unclear as the TPS designation allowing them to remain in the United States is set to expire on January 22, 2018; and
WHEREAS, On November 20, 2017, Acting Secretary of DHS, Elaine Duke, announced her decision to terminate the TPS designation for Haiti with a delayed effective date of 18 months before the designation terminates on July 22, 2019, affecting nearly 60,000 Haitians with legal residency in the United States; and
WHEREAS, This decision will force many families to return to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, which still faces a cholera epidemic and widespread humanitarian crises; and
WHEREAS, Extending TPS to Haitians living in the United States would demonstrate compassion to U.S. residents whose home country has been devastated by environmental disaster and demonstrate the United States' support for Haiti; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, call upon the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security extend Haiti's Temporary Protected Status to provide temporary immigration relief to Haitian nationals in the wake of a devastating earthquake and many natural disasters.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois General Assembly, each member of the U.S. Congressional delegation from Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and President Trump.
PAT DOWELL ALDERMAN, 3rd Ward