Top Haitian leader reveals which US policy the country would be 'helpless' without: 'Give them money'
Who benefits from this decision?
One of the nine current leaders of Haiti's transitional government admitted to Fox News Digital that his country is currently "helpless" to handle the return of its citizens, noting that Haiti relies on billions of dollars generated by U.S., Canadian and French-based migrants to keep its economy going.
Leslie Voltaire, a member of the nine-member transitional council leading Haiti ahead of scheduled elections later this year, described a state of total dependency on a "temporary" protected status that has now spanned more than 15 years, and which President Donald Trump is trying to end. Voltaire warned that a sudden termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would trigger an immediate crisis as the nation lacks the economic infrastructure to reabsorb as many as 400,000 repatriated citizens from the United States.
"We think that we are helpless if another country is sending back our compatriots," Voltaire told Fox News Digital. "We cannot do anything about it – just accommodate them, give them money to go back to their provinces and to their cities, help them with food, but it's very painful due to the small budget that we have in the government."
Trump tried to end Haiti's long-standing TPS status during his first administration, but similar to today, federal judges stepped in to block the move. In November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice indicating that Haiti's temporary status would not be renewed this month, but in a subsequent 11th-hour ruling earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from ending Haiti’s TPS status. Reyes argued the move was likely motivated by "hostility to non-white immigrants" as opposed to an objective view of the ongoing situation in Haiti.
STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES SECURITY ALERT AMID 'HEAVY GUNFIRE' NEAR US EMBASSY IN HAITI
Shortly before Fox News Digital spoke with Voltaire Thursday evening, three U.S. warships arrived off the coast of Haiti ahead of the country's Feb. 7 deadline for the council to transition power to a soon-to-be elected leader, or leaders. In addition to the U.S. ramping up its presence, the United Nations recently approved, with U.S. support, the deployment of a new Gang Suppression Task Force to Haiti to help with the ongoing violence there.
When asked for specific metrics on when Haiti might be stable enough to no longer require its TPS status, Voltaire did not point to anything concrete, like a certain number of police officers, territory controlled, or national GDP. Rather, Voltaire said that …
Who benefits from this decision?
One of the nine current leaders of Haiti's transitional government admitted to Fox News Digital that his country is currently "helpless" to handle the return of its citizens, noting that Haiti relies on billions of dollars generated by U.S., Canadian and French-based migrants to keep its economy going.
Leslie Voltaire, a member of the nine-member transitional council leading Haiti ahead of scheduled elections later this year, described a state of total dependency on a "temporary" protected status that has now spanned more than 15 years, and which President Donald Trump is trying to end. Voltaire warned that a sudden termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would trigger an immediate crisis as the nation lacks the economic infrastructure to reabsorb as many as 400,000 repatriated citizens from the United States.
"We think that we are helpless if another country is sending back our compatriots," Voltaire told Fox News Digital. "We cannot do anything about it – just accommodate them, give them money to go back to their provinces and to their cities, help them with food, but it's very painful due to the small budget that we have in the government."
Trump tried to end Haiti's long-standing TPS status during his first administration, but similar to today, federal judges stepped in to block the move. In November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice indicating that Haiti's temporary status would not be renewed this month, but in a subsequent 11th-hour ruling earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from ending Haiti’s TPS status. Reyes argued the move was likely motivated by "hostility to non-white immigrants" as opposed to an objective view of the ongoing situation in Haiti.
STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES SECURITY ALERT AMID 'HEAVY GUNFIRE' NEAR US EMBASSY IN HAITI
Shortly before Fox News Digital spoke with Voltaire Thursday evening, three U.S. warships arrived off the coast of Haiti ahead of the country's Feb. 7 deadline for the council to transition power to a soon-to-be elected leader, or leaders. In addition to the U.S. ramping up its presence, the United Nations recently approved, with U.S. support, the deployment of a new Gang Suppression Task Force to Haiti to help with the ongoing violence there.
When asked for specific metrics on when Haiti might be stable enough to no longer require its TPS status, Voltaire did not point to anything concrete, like a certain number of police officers, territory controlled, or national GDP. Rather, Voltaire said that …
Top Haitian leader reveals which US policy the country would be 'helpless' without: 'Give them money'
Who benefits from this decision?
One of the nine current leaders of Haiti's transitional government admitted to Fox News Digital that his country is currently "helpless" to handle the return of its citizens, noting that Haiti relies on billions of dollars generated by U.S., Canadian and French-based migrants to keep its economy going.
Leslie Voltaire, a member of the nine-member transitional council leading Haiti ahead of scheduled elections later this year, described a state of total dependency on a "temporary" protected status that has now spanned more than 15 years, and which President Donald Trump is trying to end. Voltaire warned that a sudden termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would trigger an immediate crisis as the nation lacks the economic infrastructure to reabsorb as many as 400,000 repatriated citizens from the United States.
"We think that we are helpless if another country is sending back our compatriots," Voltaire told Fox News Digital. "We cannot do anything about it – just accommodate them, give them money to go back to their provinces and to their cities, help them with food, but it's very painful due to the small budget that we have in the government."
Trump tried to end Haiti's long-standing TPS status during his first administration, but similar to today, federal judges stepped in to block the move. In November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice indicating that Haiti's temporary status would not be renewed this month, but in a subsequent 11th-hour ruling earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from ending Haiti’s TPS status. Reyes argued the move was likely motivated by "hostility to non-white immigrants" as opposed to an objective view of the ongoing situation in Haiti.
STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES SECURITY ALERT AMID 'HEAVY GUNFIRE' NEAR US EMBASSY IN HAITI
Shortly before Fox News Digital spoke with Voltaire Thursday evening, three U.S. warships arrived off the coast of Haiti ahead of the country's Feb. 7 deadline for the council to transition power to a soon-to-be elected leader, or leaders. In addition to the U.S. ramping up its presence, the United Nations recently approved, with U.S. support, the deployment of a new Gang Suppression Task Force to Haiti to help with the ongoing violence there.
When asked for specific metrics on when Haiti might be stable enough to no longer require its TPS status, Voltaire did not point to anything concrete, like a certain number of police officers, territory controlled, or national GDP. Rather, Voltaire said that …
0 Comments
0 Shares
42 Views
0 Reviews