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Fewer people than expected are using a program
that lets Haitian nationals in the United States
— even those here illegally — stay in this
country for 12 to 18 months rather than be
involuntarily returned to Haiti, which is still
dealing with the aftermath of January’s
devastating earthquake, Haitian community leaders
say.
Federal authorities had speculated 100,000 to
200,000 would apply for "temporary protected
status," or TPS, when the humanitarian
program was announced after the earthquake. But as
the July 20 application deadline looms, only
53,000 have applied, immigration officials say.
In New Jersey, which has the nation’s
fourth-largest Haitian population, only 2,200 have
applied even though more than 15,000 are eligible,
mostly in Essex and Union counties, said Catherine
Saintilien, executive director of Jefferson Parks
Ministries in Elizabeth, the state’s largest
social-services agency for Haitians.
Saintilien offered two reasons on why more
Haitians have not applied: She said some live
under false identities and lack the proof of
residency requested by the TPS application. And
those who have successfully stayed under the U.S.
government’s radar wonder if applying now will
help authorities deport them when TPS expires.
"They are afraid this is a way for the
government to find out where they are, and that
when they’re ready to get rid of them, they
could," she said. "And they are
concerned: After 18 months, what happens? Now the
government knows where they are."
"I hope the Haitian community really
trusts the message that ... this is not a
trap," Saintilien said. "This is
real."
More than 230,000 people died in the Jan. 12
quake, which also left a million Haitians
homeless. TPS allows Haitians in the United States
not only to stay here, but to work here and apply
for a driver’s license. Only Haitians who were
already in this country at the time of the quake
are eligible
The federal agency that runs the program, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, has been
spreading the word about TPS in Haitian
communities. The agency’s New Jersey field
office has answered questions on Haitian radio
stations and at community forums, with the next
one scheduled at 10 a.m. tomorrow in East Orange,
at 15 Prospect St. Sandra Demesier of East Orange
successfully applied for TPS earlier this year.
"I feel a little better, because I can
drive now," she said. "But some people
(Haitians) are not aware of this program. They
don’t know what TPS stands for."
TPS application information and forms are
available at www.uscis.gov.
Application fees run $470, though people can ask
to have fees waived. People with one felony
conviction or two misdemeanor convictions are
ineligible.
The United States now grants TPS to qualifying
citizens of six countries — Haiti, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, and Sudan —
devastated by natural disasters, military
conflicts or other problems. While TPS initially
lasts for about a year, it is often renewed in
18-month increments if conditions do not improve
in a country.
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