United States Congressional representatives have strongly condemned what they described as the Trump administration’s ‘dehumanization’ of Haitian nationals and the deportation of thousands who have been denied Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Legislators, Yvette D. Clarke and Ayanna Pressley, co-chairs of the Haiti Caucus in the US House of Representatives have issued a joint statement condemning the situation.
‘Today, thousands of Haitians are in chains because Donald Trump decided their lives are a crime. They broke no laws, yet that did not stop the Trump administration from forcing them into the grips of Haiti’s violent gangs and instability.
‘The Trump administration has declared Haiti unsafe to travel to; and, in recent days alone, gang massacres have left dozens dead, more have been kidnapped, and some of the Haitians this administration deported have already been killed.
‘The American people are sickened by the suffering and blatant targeting this administration has inflicted upon thousands of Haitian nationals, who contribute to our communities and whose Temporary Protected Status was unjustly taken away,’ said Clarke, who is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Pressley who represents Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District.
They said instead of listening to the American people, the Trump administration has doubled down on ‘its cruelty’ and that there is no excuse for treating neighbours with such contempt.
The two legislators said while the deportations of Haitian TPS holders may have only started weeks ago, ‘the vicious dehumanization of their communities began long before.
‘Cruelty to Haitians is a policy choice,’ said Clarke and Pressley, adding that the US Congress has ‘the power to stop it.’
They are calling on the US Senate to ‘immediately take the long overdue step of passing our legislation to restore TPS for Haiti,’ adding ‘the lives of Haitians and Americans alike are at stake’.
The California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has also condemned the ‘horrific violence and atrocities’ in Haiti, calling for armed groups to put down their guns, stop the violence and ‘allow Haiti to heal, rebuild and prosper’.
HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef is calling on the Trump administration and the international community to strengthen measures to stop the flow of illegal firearms into Haiti, including guns originating in the US.