- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Academics, Strategists Track Down Haitian-American Voting Data To Turn Florida Blue
Haitian American Voting Data to turn Florida blue
When Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden visited Little Haiti two weeks ago, he said Haitian-Americans could turn the state Blue. It appears his party has the data to prove it. Data that has informed much of the get-out-the-vote efforts undertaken by Democratic party workers, volunteers, and community advocates to reach Haitian-Americans — in person and virtually. Having the details, proponents of the approach said, better informs efforts to engage the community and, more importantly, shows the growing clout of Haitian-Americans in Florida.
“In official statistics, it’s important to delineate what separates Haitians from other groups they are categorized with, like Jamaicans and Black Americans,” said Santra Denis, president and founder of the South Florida-based organization Avanse Ansanm. “People typically think about the Black community as very monolithic and for Haitian-Americans, there’s a cultural need in terms of how you relate to us, what resonates with us, and what will pull us into this political cycle.”
Official voting statistics do not specify American citizens with Haitian parents or naturalized Haitian-Americans born in other countries. However, academics surfaced the data by cross-referencing official voting data with the population’s ethnicity and background. Democratic strategists then took it further by adding their analysis, based on knowledge of the community, to come up with recommendations to turn Florida Blue.
With the final weeks of the campaign in full swing, the current approach observed is largely based on a report by Herlande Rosemond, voter protection deputy director for the Florida Democratic Party.
In the report, titled “Florida’s Haitian American Community,” Rosemond said the state’s 300,563 electors of Haitian ancestry are significant and need to be better utilized. She drew a contrast with the Venezuelan population, a group that receives much attention, whose population is less than half the number of Haitian-Americans in the Sunshine State.
“Just possibly, the road to the White House might run through Little Haiti,” the report states.
“The road to the White House certainly runs through Florida and our campaign is working tirelessly to mobilize and turn out the Haitian-American community for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, especially as Floridians are early voting,” said Karen Andre, senior adviser to Biden’s Florida campaign. “We plan to continue our work to win their support in everything, from our organizing efforts to our paid media program, through Election Day.”
Linking voter data to country of origin
The voter data behind the strategy is based on the work of such academics at the University of Florida — Daniel Smith, chair of the Department of Political Science, and Sharon Austin, a political science professor and director of the African American Studies Program.
Smith has coded about 14 million lines of data that show a person’s national origin in order to locate their birthplace and the precincts in which they voted. The extensive, months-long task entailed working with a team of students to merge voter precinct data with individual voter files from the state, Smith said.
Also, with Haiti spelled a multitude of different ways in the data and some people listing their country’s hometown as a place of origin, Smith’s team took educated guesses about the country of origin.
“It takes a lot of heft to do an analysis of voter participation by country of origin,” Smith said. “The state could presumably do all this, but they don’t. They will make it publicly available to show the voter breakdown by party, but other than that, they aren’t providing any information.”
Among the findings in his research is that Haitian political participation in Florida is strong and higher than the statewide average, said Smith. Haitian voter turnout in the 2018 general election was 73 percent, compared to the state’s 64 percent overall. The 2016 levels were similar.
Austin, whose work centers on the Black vote, said the data-driven approach that she and Smith have pursued has made people realize the power of Florida’s Haitian-American voters.
“These numbers allow you to understand that Haitians vote at higher levels, that there is a large Haitian population in Florida, that there are a number of Haitians who have ran for office and won office, and that as a political group, they really have arrived,” Austin said.
One reason Haitian voter turnout has been so high is the community’s strong sense of cultural identity and this identity is vital to tap into for expanding political representation in official statistics, he said. Smith also emphasized robust field campaigning and door-to-door canvassing as instrumental to maintaining strong enthusiasm for political participation.
Now that the first generation of Haitian immigrants has laid the bedrock, the community should continue to strengthen its political progress moving forward, community advocates say.
“The generation before us spent a lot of time making sure the foundation was where it needed to be so that we can have a strong and vibrant community,” said Denis, of Fort Lauderdale.
Direct, culturally appropriate outreach
Rosemond’s report also outlines ways the Democratic Party could address shortcomings.
“It is necessary to include the Haitian community as important members of the overall Florida Democratic Party,” Rosemond wrote. “What this means is to address the language and cultural idiosyncrasies of this population, recognizing and utilizing members of that community in the ‘get out to vote’ movement.
Biden’s campaign has been doing just that.
In contrast to Trump’s campaign, his team has placed a strong emphasis on reaching out to Florida’s Haitian-American population. In addition to Andre, Karine Jean-Pierre was named as Kamala Harris’ chief of staff.
The Biden-Harris campaign has launched a six-figure media blitz airing television and radio ads in Haitian Creole. Both Andre and Jean-Pierre have asked for the community’s support, all English, French and Creole, in media interviews, virtual events and community forums.
This week, both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris traveled to Florida with the intent of drumming up support among Caribbean voters.
Rosemond also recommended having a strong field organization that is culturally appropriate, similar to the boots-on-the-ground approach championed by Denis and Smith, for the Biden-Harris team to turn Florida Blue.
She said the party should reach out to Haitian-Americans in Creole, citing Florida Representative Dotie Joseph’s prior use of language as among the most important factors playing into Haitian-American political participation. Joseph’s 108th House District has electors who speak Spanish, Haitian Creole and English. She has conducted events in each language to reach specific electorates.
Waiting for results
Smith said Biden is taking the right steps to energize Haitian-American voters for two reasons.
“I fully expect stronger support for Biden because of Trump’s disrespect for Haiti, which he has made very clear and obvious,” he said. “I also think that Biden has been able to distance himself from Hillary Clinton, who brought a lot of concern to the Haitian-American community.”
Another significant component is direct engagement outreach, including knocking on doors and passing out literature, and connecting with Haitian-American millennials in particular.
For National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 22, nonprofit organization Avanse Ansanm partnered with one of the busiest Haitian bakeries in Broward County. Denis, its leader, paid for people’s orders in exchange for her to check their voter status on the spot.
With such activity underway, Denis is optimistic that more politicians like Joseph will be involved in Florida’s political landscape, which could eventually pave the way for greater representation in elected positions.
Consequently, with greater representation, Haitian-American politicians will continue to advocate for and generate political enthusiasm within their own community.
“We’re going to start to see a lot more Haitian elected officials as state and city commissioners, superintendents, and as members of Congress,” Denis said. “We’re involved in every aspect of life and we should have political representation as well.”
China offers $1 billion loan to Latin America and the Caribbean for access to its Covid-19 vaccine
Mexico City (CNN) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced a $1 billion loan to Latin America and the Caribbean for Covid-19 vaccine access during a virtual gathering with his Latin American counterparts on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry.
"China's Foreign Minister said that the vaccine developed in his country will be a public benefit of universal access, and that his country will designate a loan of $1 billion to support access [to the vaccinehttps://rileyantoinefuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/4203488/Kinney-Ruby/index.php">Ruby Kinney died from COVID-19 on April 22. Flint-Banks says a doctor at the nursing home, which declined to comment for this story, called to tell her the news.
“I didn't have any clue that they even thought she had COVID,” Flint-Banks says. “I just started crying, me and my husband both.”
In Massachusetts, nursing homes were hit hard and early by the coronavirus. Thousands of residents in these facilities have died from COVID-19, and the death rate from the virus in nursing homes is 90 times that of the statewide death rate.
But nursing homes across the state did not bear this burden equally.
Twenty people died from COVID-19 in Kinney’s nursing home. This is higher than the statewide average in facilities with coronavirus outbreaks: 15.5 deaths. State data also shows that nursing homes serving more residents of color had, on average, more COVID-related deaths.
This is partly explained by the fact that these facilities tend to have more residents. But even when you look at the rate of death, the disparity persists.
U.S. reports about 300,000 more deaths during pandemic than in typical year
2 MIN READ
(Reuters) - Nearly 300,000 more people have died in the United States in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic than would be expected based on historical trends, with at least two-thirds due to COVID-19, a government report released on Tuesday showed, adding that COVID deaths likely were undercounted.
The report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 299,028 more people died between Jan. 26 and Oct. 3 than the average numbers from past years would have indicated.
CDC said that about 216,000 U.S. deaths from the coronavirus had been reported by the middle of this month. “This might underestimate the total impact of the pandemic on mortality,” it said.
“There are many factors that could contribute to an increase in deaths indirectly due to the pandemic, with disruptions to health care being one factor,” study author Lauren Rossen, from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, told Reuters.
The count could miss deaths indirectly related to the pandemic, caused by disruptions in healthcare access or utilization, and from conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and respiratory diseases, the report said. But it also could reflect rises in non-COVID-19 related deaths.
The data show disproportionate increases among racial and ethnic groups that have been seen as particularly affected by COVID-19.
The CDC found the largest average percentage increase in deaths compared with previous years occurring among Hispanic people (53.6%), with deaths 32.9% above average among Black people and 36.6% above average for Asians.
A Reuters tally finds about 220,000 coronavirus-related U.S. deaths have been reported.
The CDC found that excess deaths have occurred every week since March 2020 and reached their highest points in the weeks ended April 11 and Aug. 8.
The largest percentage increase in excess deaths from all causes was among adults aged 25–44 years at 26.5%.
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
U.S. Congress Passes Haiti-Led Trade Agreement Between America And The Caribbean
By Onz Chery
The U.S. Congress has renewed the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, an agreement that allows countries in the region to continue importing and exporting goods with America.
Haiti, under the leadership of Haiti’s Ambassador to the United States Hervé Denis, led the way in advocating for the renewal of the CBTPA on behalf of the Caribbean region this year. He testified before the House Subcommittee on Trade of the Ways and Means Committee as part of those duties in September. During that Capitol Hill hearing, held virtually, Denis cited that the U.S. had gained a $7.4 billion trade surplus in 2018 alone, among the reasons for extending the CBTPA.
On Sept. 30, the U.S. Senate authorized the 10-year renewal and it was signed into law over the weekend of Oct. 10-11.
“It will save 60,000 [jobshttps://haitiantimes.com/2020/10/10/as-haiti-burns-government-adds-kindling-or-turns-blind-eye/">numerous killings, including that of infants, and general fear for safety across the country.
Economically, Haiti is also now dealing with a rise in its currency, the gourde (G), that may have unintended consequences. Textile industry leaders recently warned that the gourde’s appreciation threatens about25,000 jobs in that sector.
In a public statement calling for the renewal of the CBTPA, the embassy said the agreement provides duty-free eligibility for textiles and apparel made from U.S. yarns and fabrics. They said this will enable eligible countries to compete with China and other Asian apparel suppliers.
“Haiti’s garment industry is the industrial foundation of the country’s economy, and its existence depends on the preferences granted under CBTPA and the additional HOPE/HELP programs,” the embassy said.
The CBPTA was first passed in 2000 as Public Law 106-200, the Trade and Development Act of 2000. It has been renewed every 10 years since then.
CBTPA Highlights
The latest available CBTPA report, dated December 2019, details the trade activities for each member country and the expectations and consequences for participation.
Highlights from the report related to Haiti include:
- Haiti has been the largest beneficiary of trade preferences in recent years.
- Haiti has been the second leading source of U.S. imports since 2009.
- In May 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act that expanded existing preferences for apparel and established new preferences for certain non-apparel textile goods.
- U.S. imports under the CBI tariff preferences increased for a second consecutive year to $1 billion in 2018, up from $960 million in 2017 and $871 million in 2016. Cotton T-shirts from Haiti was one of two main reasons for the increase.
- U.S. imports from Haiti consisted mostly of textiles and apparel. In 2018, such imports amounted to $297.4 million under CBI provisions and $649.1 million under the HOPE Acts.
- In 2018, petroleum related products accounted for approximately 30 percent of imports under the CBI preferential program.
CBTPA Embassy of Haiti factories Herve Denis textile U.S. Congress
U.S. lawmakers demand Trump administration support free, fair elections in Haiti
October 15, 2020 05:44 PM,
Miami Congresswoman Frederica Wilson is calling on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to clarify recent comments by a top State Department official on elections in Haiti that have been widely criticized as an attack on the country’s opposition and civic groups, and a dismissal of widespread concerns about the legitimacy of the process.
Last month a senior State Department official warned political opponents of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and members of civil society that they could face “consequences” if they stand in the way of the electoral process. The official’s comments was in response to a question by the Miami Herald during a Sept. 16 State Department briefing about the refusal of Haitian opposition parties and civil society groups including the Catholic Church, Protestant Federation and human rights organizations to designate representatives to a temporary electoral commission being formed by Moïse.
“I am deeply concerned by the State Department’s response to the unfolding political crisis in Haiti,” said Wilson, who represents one of the fastest growing Haitian American communities in her congressional district. “The Haitian people must be able to make their voices heard and choose their representatives through a legitimate, democratic process.”
The Democratic lawmaker added: “Haitian civil society has raised legitimate concerns about a climate of political intimidation and a rush to construct an unconstitutional electoral process. The U.S. State Department should help elevate these voices, not threaten domestic political actors, and I sincerely hope that Secretary Pompeo clarifies the recent remarks made by a senior State Department official on this topic.”
On Thursday, Wilson made her concerns about the State Department’s response known in a bicameral letter to Pompeo signed by 25 other members of Congress.
Lawmakers said they are alarmed by the Trump administration’s calls for elections in Haiti without broad civil society involvement and despite widespread concerns about the legitimacy of the current electoral process. The letter, which was led by Wilson and fellow Democrat Edward Markey, urges the administration to support free and fair elections in Haiti.
“While it is imperative that we support a return to full democratic order in Haiti, U.S. policy should not push for hasty elections that may further destabilize that nation’s fragile political system,” the lawmakers said. “We urge you to ensure that U.S. foreign policy toward Haiti does not legitimize undemocratic behavior. The United States, through its statements, policies, and programs, must support an electoral process that adheres to the Haitian constitution and recognizes the critical importance of participation by civil society in any democratic process.”
This is the second time in a week that members of Congress have publicly expressed concerns about Haiti’s overdue and still unscheduled legislative and local elections.
Last week, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who isn’t among the signers on the Pompeo letter, issued her own letter to U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison in Port-au-Prince asking her “to oppose the organization of elections in Haiti until such time as the widespread politically motivated attacks against government critics in Haiti have ceased.” Sison, Waters said, should use her “considerable diplomatic experience and influence with the government of Haiti to promote respect for the rule of law and basic human rights.”
Haiti, Waters warned, is in a downward spiral of chaos and violence. She noted several concerns — as the Pompeo letter does — about the legality of Moïse’s controversial appointment of nine individuals to a new Provisional Electoral Council. Critics and legal scholars have said the appointments and the election entity’s mission to also prepare a constitutional referendum are not constitutional.
“When the Haitian Supreme Court refused to swear in Moïse’s hand-picked CEP members, Moïse installed them anyway, which is also a violation of the constitution,” Waters wrote. “ These disturbing events are taking place against a backdrop of unconscionable threats, intimidation, and violence targeting critics of the government of President Moïse.”
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of extending the mandate of its special political mission in Haiti for another year with 13 votes in favor, and Russia and China abstaining, amid concerns over the lack of progress in the country.
Meanwhile, events in Haiti are increasingly being raised in the U.S. political arena ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential vote. Earlier this week, 82 Florida organizations and leaders active in the Haitian-American community endorsed a letter asking for a virtual meeting with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. The group said they want to discuss a list of urgent community priorities they would like to see a Biden-Harris administration promptly pursue if elected.
Some of those priorities were mentioned in a one-pager the Biden campaign issued ahead of a campaign stop Biden made in Little Haiti last week to court Haitian-American voters. Among them is a commitment to halt deportations of non-criminals back to Haiti during his first 100 days in office due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigration activist Steve Forester noted that there has been a sharp uptick in deportations to Haiti, with six such flights landing in Port-au-Prince since Friday. While he welcomes the deportation suspension, Forester said there are equally pressing concerns Haitian Americans have.
“There are 10 separate issues in the letter, most of which are not addressed in the one-pager,” Forester said. “The one thing that is clearly addressed is reinstatement of Haitian family reunification.... But there are a whole slew of issues we just want to bring to his attention and hope to urge him that these are things he should commit to now and that a Biden administration should do.”
Dr. JEAN-CLAUDE FOURON - GREAT HAITIAN SCIENTIST, FOUNDER OF THE FIRST UNIT OF FETAL CARDIOLOGY IN CANADA
Dr. Fouron is a senior investigator whose career started in 1967. Since then, he has constantly been involved in experimental and clinical research activities. In both cases, his main field of interest has been the physiology and pathophysiology of the fetal and neonatal cardio-circulatory system, more recently using ultrasound Doppler technology.
Jean-Claude Fouron, a native of Haiti,was a pioneer of fetal cardiology who arrived in Quebec in 1960. In 1989, he founded the first unit of fetal cardiology in Canada.
His main contribution to physiology has been the introduction of the concept that the aortic isthmus, not the ductus arteriosus, is the sole arterial shunt within fetal circulation. This concept has since been included in text books on fetal medicine. Presently, Dr Fouron is conducting detailed experimental and clinical investigations on the cardio-circulatory impact of an increase in placental vascular resistance as observed in the majority of fetuses with intra-uterine growth restriction. He also examines mechanisms and possible treatments for fetal cardiac disorders, prenatal physiopathology of the transposition of the great arteries and factors controlling postnatal closure of the ductus arteriosus.
Dr Fouron's projects have been financially supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundations of Québec and Canada, the Toronto SickKids Foundation, the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center. His works have lead to over 165 articles in international peer-reviewed journals as well as 10 chapters in pediatric and fetal cardiology books. He is also regularly invited to speak in conferences on fetal cardiology both in North America and in Europe.
Jean-Claude Fouron is a world leader in the field and a pioneer in the use of fetal ultrasound.
He has worked on many innovative projects, one of his most significant being the identification of the aortic isthmus as a single fetal aortic shunt, which has had a major influence on the improvement of infant health.
During his distinguished career, this University of Montréal Emeritus Professor trained many doctors from around the world. He also put his skills to work in his native country of Haiti to improve the health of mothers and children. A fervent ambassador of his university, his hospital and his city, this great scientist is recognized as a humanist physician and a talented pedagogue, who communicates his knowledge with humility and humor.
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- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Que nous a rapporté le mariage Trump – Jovenel ?
JACMEL, 3 Octobre – Qu’est-ce que l’alliance Trump – Jovenel Moïse a fait pour les Haïtiens ? A quoi pouvait-on s’attendre connaissant le qualificatif odieux que l’actuel numéro 1 américain avait utilisé pour désigner notre pays avant même qu’on allait savoir que ce sont tous les gens de notre race, qu’il traite de la même façon.
Par conséquent aucun chef d’Etat haïtien qui se respecte (et qui respecte la fonction qu’il occupe) qui aurait accepté le rôle joué à cet égard par l’actuel occupant du palais national de Port-au-Prince.
C’est oublier la remarque du président Dumarsais Estimé (1946-1950), le président-bâtisseur, après que les Etats-Unis nous eurent refusé un crédit pour finir de payer la dette de l’Indépendance envers la France : ‘Heureux mécompte’ ! s’écria Estimé, ou Tant mieux, tant mieux ! avant d’organiser un emprunt interne qui permit d’achever le paiement de la fameuse Dette.
C’est une Histoire (avec un grand H) mais qui ne peut pas intéresser Donald Trump qui, disent tous les spécialistes (pardon les psychiatres !), n’est intéressé qu’à sa propre personne.
Est-ce le même jugement qu’il faudrait tirer pour Jovenel Moïse ? L’Histoire répondra mais en attendant son alliance avec Mr. Trump ne nous empêche pas d’être traité par l’actuel occupant de la Maison blanche avec une totale indifférence si ce n’est de la cruauté.
Personne n’est dupe à voir les initiatives prises actuellement en Haïti par les autorités américaines dans le domaine de l’épidémie du Covid-19 (distribution de quelques dizaines de respirateurs artificiels et autres démarches …).
Alors que les ravages de l’épidémie en Haïti sont bien moindres que partout ailleurs et que notre pays a besoin de bien d’autres choses pour se relever de sa position de pays le plus pauvre de l’hémisphère occidental.
Mais le gouvernement américain se prépare uniquement à pouvoir dire que Haïti est suffisamment ‘safe’ pour pouvoir accueillir les quelque 60.000 bénéficiaires du TPS (statut de résidence temporaire accordé sous le président précédent Barak Obama à quelques-unes des victimes du séisme dévastateur du 12 janvier 2010 qui avaient pu fuir Haïti à cette époque).
Récemment un tribunal a tranché pour la fin de ce statut et que ses bénéficiaires doivent rentrer dans leur pays. Y compris donc avec les enfants qui ont pris naissance entre-temps et qui ont partant la nationalité américaine (?).
Mais le président Trump laisse le sentiment qu’il n’a rien à en blairer. Est-ce que son homologue Jovenel Moïse ose lui faire savoir que Haïti n’a pas encore les moyens pour recevoir ces dizaines de milliers de nos compatriotes, et que notre pays ne réunit, pour répéter les récents propos de l’Ambassadeur de France en Haïti à propos des élections projetées par le gouvernement haïtien : ni les conditions techniques, ni les conditions sécuritaires.
Ce serait amener la vache au taureau, offrir des milliers de vies en sacrifice aux gangs armés qui parcourent actuellement le pays massacrant tout sur leur chemin ?
‘Haitian-Americans for Biden’ …
Un mouvement est en train de se constituer dans la diaspora haïtienne aux Etats-Unis avec entre autres objectifs empêcher la déportation comme nous disions autrefois de ‘nos frères et sœurs’, c’est ‘Haitian-Americans for Biden’, est-ce que les politiques haïtiens s’y intéressent ?
On ne sait. De ce côté rien ne semble être comme avant. Au point que le palais national de Port-au-Prince a osé désigner comme représentant de la diaspora dans son conseil électoral dit illégal et inconstitutionnel, une parfaite inconnue donc qui n’a reçu aucun mandat.
Ce qu’on appellerait, pour parler vulgairement nous aussi, car Mr Trump ne peut pas avoir le monopole en tout : un ‘chen san mèt.’
Mais soyons sérieux, on voit tout ce que Jovenel a apporté à son grand allié américain : le vote haïtien à l’OEA (Organisation des Etats Américains) pour faire et défaire en Amérique latine, y compris la guerre à un régime qui jusque-là nous avait aidé autant que faire se peut à supporter notre misère : les plusieurs milliards du Fonds Petrocaribe accumulés sur la vente du pétrole concédé par Caracas à des tarifs sans concurrence – quand de plus c’est le même régime incarné par Jovenel Moïse (le Pati Ayisyen Tèt Kale ou PHTK), qui en dilapidera la plus grande part.
Hier encore le vote haïtien a été utilisé pour faciliter la nomination du pion de Mr. Trump (Mr. Mauricio Claver-Carone) à la présidence de la Banque interaméricaine de développement (BID), un poste qui, depuis la création il y a 50 ans de cette institution, a toujours été occupé par un sud-américain.
De plus, tout cela n’est pas pour nous faire bien voir dans le sud du continent, pas plus dans notre propre région de la Caraïbe, où d’ailleurs le président haïtien, relève-t-on, n’est désormais plus invité lors des assemblées régulières qui se poursuivent même en vidéo-conférencce.
Est-ce que Jovenel Moïse a idée de tout ce qu’il est train de brader avec un occupant de la Maison blanche dont le mandat est obligatoirement temporaire ...
Qui conseille le président d’Haïti ?
C’est la première fois dans notre Histoire nationale. Haïti, la Mère du mouvement d’indépendance dans le continent américain, la 2e république indépendante de l’Amérique, tout de suite après les Etats-Unis, la Geste tant glorieuse et glorifiée partout dans le continent du 18 Novembre 1803, victoire d’une armée d’esclaves sur les troupes d’expédition esclavagistes de Napoléon Bonaparte, est-ce que Jovenel Moïse a idée de tout ce qu’il est train de brader avec un occupant de la Maison blanche dont le mandat est obligatoirement temporaire ...
Qui conseille le président d’Haïti ?
Qui est avec lui ?
Qui sont les complices de ce crime qui ne touche pas seulement notre Haïti mais tout le continent ?
Alors que ‘Mosyeu’ Trump a même décidé que nous ne faisons plus partie du continent américain.
En effet non content de décider le retour des TPS, ainsi que la suppression des programmes de travailleurs invités comme les H-2 A et H-2 B qui ont bénéficié à nos concitoyens, c’est aux étudiants que la Maison Blanche ensuite s’en prend.
En effet on retrouve le nom d’Haïti dans une dernière décision de l’Immigration des Etats-Unis (United States Department of Homeland Security – DHS) décidant de réduire de 4 à 2 années le visa accordé pour des étudiants, ainsi que des experts et autres personnels qualifiés, originaires d’un certain nombre de pays dans ce qu’on appelle un programme d’échanges internationaux en vue de promouvoir la fraternité entre les nations et la paix internationale.
Ces derniers mots font se dresser tous les poils sur le dos de l’actuel occupant de la Maison Blanche, mais de plus pas un seul des pays mentionnés qui n’appartiennent à l’Europe ni à l’Amérique du Sud mais ce sont tous (plusieurs dizaines à la queu-leu-leu) des pays d’Afrique à part la Corée du Nord et le Vietnam, l’Iran bien sûr parce que pays ennemi.
Sauf exception et non des moindres : Haïti. Entre Guinée Bissau et Iran. On ne voit pas ce qui explique notre présence dans cette liste sinon que Mr Trump a définitivement un problème avec notre … couleur !
Au point même de décréter, à voir cette dernière mesure, que Haïti ne fait pas partie du Continent Américain.
Merci Jovenel Moïse !
Marcus Garcia / Haïti en Marche, 3 Octobre 2020
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
US Rapper Kanye West Makes Surprise Visit to Haiti
WASHINGTON - American rap star and third-party U.S. presidential candidate Kanye West visited Haiti on Friday, Haitian President Jovenel Moise announced on Twitter.
“I'm with famous American rapper Kanye West who just arrived in the country to visit Labadee and l'Ile de la Tortue. I wish him a great visit," Moise tweeted.
The post, which included four photos, show both the president and West wearing face masks.
The purpose of West's visit to the Caribbean nation remains unclear. He has not posted anything about it on his official Twitter account, @kanyewest. President Moise’s tweet provided no further details.
According to local media, the rap star, 43, landed Friday morning at the Cape Haitien international airport and was met there by the president. Official Haitian greeters, fans, airport workers and members of the press crowded into the small airport’s diplomatic lounge to catch a glimpse of West, who was wearing a lilac hoodie, dark pants and his signature sneakers. President Moise accompanied him on a visit to two picturesque islands.
Labadee island, located off the coast of Cape Haitien in Haiti's north, is a resort predominantly frequented by foreign tourists. The island is leased by Royal Caribbean cruise lines and features turquoise waters, sandy beaches and an assortment of water rides.
Ile de la Tortue (Tortuga island) is also a popular tourist destination off Haiti's northwestern coast.
Cape Haitien, where West landed, is Haiti's second-largest city. It is home to the renowned historical site, Citadelle Laferriere, a 19th century fortress that was instrumental in the slave revolution to gain independence from France in 1804.
This is the rap star’s second jaunt to the Caribbean in a week. The Miami Herald reported that West made a visit last week to Jamaica, where he was accused of breaking COVID-19 protocols after photos surfaced of him without a face mask with reggae music star Buju Banton.
West announced his candidacy for U.S. president on July 4, 2020, and is officially on the ballot for the November election in 11 states.
Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court justice
(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Saturday said he is nominating Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative federal appeals court judge, to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the US Supreme Court, setting off a fierce partisan battle in the waning days of a hotly contested presidential election.
Calling it a "very proud moment indeed," Trump called Barrett a woman of "towering intellect" and "unyielding loyalty to the Constitution" who would rule "based solely on the fair reading of the law."
In a flag-bedecked Rose Garden designed to mimic Ginsburg's own nomination ceremony in 1993, Trump recounted Barrett's educational and professional background, noted her seven children and hailed her ties to another late Supreme Court justice, Antonin Scalia, for whom she clerked.
"I looked and I studied and you are very eminently qualified for this job," Trump told his nominee. "You are going to be fantastic."
Barrett, Trump declared before an audience that included Scalia's widow, Republican senators and several figures from the conservative media, is "one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds."
In her own remarks, Barrett offered only a glimpse of what type of justice she would be and did not delve into specifics.
"A judge must apply the law as written," she said. "Judges are not policy makers."
Instead she sought to cast herself as a public servant -- one who, at 48, could potentially serve on the court for decades.
"If confirmed, I would not assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle, and certainly not for my own sake, I would assume this role to serve you," she said.
The nomination comes at a critical time in history, as the President openly questions the integrity of the upcoming election and has not committed to a peaceful transfer of power in the event he loses. He's repeatedly said that the Supreme Court needed to have all nine seats filled ahead of Election Day, in case the court needed to weigh in on the legality of mail-in ballots being sent to Americans across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. And several weighty cases loom on the immediate horizon, should she be confirmed as swiftly as Republicans hope, including one that could determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
Trump seemed to momentarily shrug off the looming battle, even if Barrett herself said Saturday she was under no illusions about how difficult her confirmation might be.
"This should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation," Trump said. "I'm sure it will be extremely non-controversial. We said that last time, didn't we?"
But Democrats were already writing off her nomination, which had been widely expected.
"By nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, President Trump has once again put Americans' healthcare in the crosshairs," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a statement, adding a vote for Barrett amounted to "a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act."
KAREN JEAN PIERRE IN FLORIDA
South Florida Caribbean news
On Wednesday, Biden for President Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to Senator Kamala Harris Karine Jean-Pierre participated in several interviews with prominent Haitian radio programs in Miami-Dade, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Broward counties.
Jean-Pierre, the campaign’s highest ranking Haitian-American staffer, addressed key issues to the Haitian community, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ COVID-19 recovery plans, legislative immigration reform, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and family reunification.
Karine Jean-Pierre spoke with the hosts about different issues impacting the Haitian community in South Florida:
· On building a diverse coalition:
“We understand, they understand that we can’t take any vote for granted and that in order to win Florida, we have to build a diverse coalition of voters, right, and it’s across the state, including Haitian-Americans. There is so much at stake in the election and every vote makes a difference, and we have to make sure that we fight for the interest of the Caribbean community, that we fight for the interests of the Haitian community – especially as we look at COVID-19 and how it has devastated communities across the spectrum.”
· On rebuilding our economy:
“We have to rebuild the economy, because tens of millions of people have lost their jobs because of mismanagement of COVID-19, and we have to pass immigration reform legislation that protects the Haitian community and that protects our communities as a whole.”
· On Trump’s cruel immigration policies:
“On day one, on day one, the moment that he takes the oath and becomes president of the United States in January, he’s going to take urgent action to end Trump’s cruel and inhumane border policies that rip children from their mothers arms; protect DREAMers and their families recognizing them as Americans that they are; reverse Trump’s public charge rule, which is critical and important; send real legislative immigration reform to Congress as I just mentioned with a roadmap to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants who already make our communities strong as we all know…”
· On Biden’s support for TPS:
“Joe Biden has committed to protecting TPS and Deferred Enforcement Departure holders from being returned to countries that are unsafe…As he has said over and over again and will continue to say as president of the United States, he stands with the families in this country who have been impacted by Trump’s cruel immigration policies.”
· On the importance of the Haitian vote:
“It’s so important to use our power, right, the power we have as voters, the power that we have as a community. The Haitian community is such a strong, powerful block and unit and we just have to continue like we have done for decades upon decades, continue to use the power that we have and voting is one of them. As a proud Haitian-American, I know we cannot take any vote for granted here in South Florida, and that is something the campaign understands, that is why I’m proud to work for Joe Biden…I’ve known Joe Biden for over a decade and I believe, and so many believe that he will be a champion for our community and he’s giving us a reason to vote…”
“I think he’s giving the community a reason to vote, a reason to organize our community and that’s what the Haitian community has to continue to do… If we are able to vote as a block in South Florida, and Haitians come out in a big way like we know that they will, it gives you a seat at the table, it gives the community a seat at the table. Bring the policies, bring the plans, bring the ideas, because you will have a seat at the table and that is the way we make change.”
· On Biden and Harris’ record with communities of color
“What Donald Trump has done has been devastating to our country and to our community, devastating. He has a complete disregard for the Haitian community, a complete disregard for the Black community at large, for the brown community at large. He does not care, and I think Joe Biden and Senator Harris have a proven record, and just see what they have done and look at what their plans are… They will do the work on day one, but we have to get them there. We have to come out and vote, and we have to get them to the White House and that means all of us getting to the polls, voting early, voting by mail, and making sure that we make sure our community comes out and votes, our households get out and vote in order to have real power.”
· On foreign relations:
“Biden respects and supports Democracy and he supports free and fair elections and that is based on his track record, that is based on relationships that he’s had with foreign governments across the globe – that was a big role that he played in the Obama-Biden administration and so if you look at his track record you will see a partnership.”
Dear FANM members and friends,
It's National Voter Registration Day!
The 2020 General Election is on November 3, 2020. It is the most important election of our lifetime.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is on the ballot box. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is on the ballot box. Supreme Court justice appointments, climate change initiatives, immigration reform, healthcare reform, and the COVID-19 response are also on the ballot box. No one can afford to sit this one out. No one should take voting for granted.
In every state, but most especially in Florida, every vote counts.
Every. Vote. Matters.
FANM strongly urges all citizens to register to vote by the October 5th deadline. To register, please click on this link.
After you register, please consider requesting a vote-by-mail ballot.Voters must request a vote-by-mail ballot by October 24th.
Voting by mail is beneficial for many reasons. It's convenient for those who do not have accessible modes of transportation and who are wary of possible COVID health risks. A mail-in ballot also gives voters the opportunity to vote at their convenience in the weeks leading up to Election Day. This saves many busy voters time while protecting their health. Voters are also more informed citizens if they receive a mail-in ballot as it gives them the opportunity to review and research all candidates. Additionally, voters can check the status of their ballot online after they send it back! It's easy!
If you request a vote-by-mail ballot and later choose to vote in person, you can drop off your vote-by-mail ballot at secure drop boxes at any early voting location! You can also bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you on Election Day or choose to vote with a provisional ballot.
FANM encourages voters to vote before Election Day! All voters can give themselves ample time and vote early! Early voting in Miami-Dade begins on October 19th and ends on November 1st. To look up an early polling location in Miami- Dade, please click on this link. For Broward County,please click on this link. For the rest of Florida, please click on this link.
FANM staff and volunteers have been actively calling and registering voters and we need motivated volunteers who are passionate about voter outreach to join our efforts! If we all band together and do our part, we can accomplish miracles! Please call us at (305) 756-8050 to join our team!
There’s too much at stake in 2020 for members of our community to sit quietly on the sidelines. By registering to vote, we can actively achieve change and ensure our voices are heard.
Our community is on the ballot box. Our votes matter. We matter.
Remember,
1)Register to Vote
2)Request your ballot to vote by mail
3)VOTE on November 3rd
Our democracy depends on you!
In Unity,
Marleine Bastien, MSW, LCSW
Executive Director
Family Action Network Movement (FANM)
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Republicans block attempt to pass TPS for Venezuelans weeks before Election Day
Marleine Bastien, a Haitian activist, said advocates like her will continue to fight on behalf of the estimated 400,000 TPS holders
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
- WASHINGTON
- Republicans blocked a proposal Wednesday by Democrats in the U.S. Senate to fast-track a bill that would grant Venezuelans in the United States Temporary Protected Status, the latest attempt to appeal to Venezuelans in Florida seven weeks before Election Day.
- Two Democratic senators, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Dick Durbin of Illinois, attemptedto pass a bill that would have granted TPS to Venezuelans — allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S. for a limited time without threat of deportation — through a process in the Senate called unanimous consent. The move, which is essentially a voice vote, bypasses usual Senate procedure and provides a speedy way to pass legislation, but it fails if one senator opposes it.
- South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune blocked the bill’s passage on behalf of Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee.
“This is a serious mistake and deadly mistake for these Venezuelans,” Durbin said in response to Thune’s objection.
After the bill was blocked, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden criticized Republicans. Biden said Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis under Nicolás Maduro’s leadership caused millions to leave the country and justifies the need for TPS.
“Republicans continue to prove all their tough talk on Maduro is nothing but empty words,” Biden said in a statement. “Time and again, when it comes to taking real action, President Trump and his Republican allies have failed to support the Venezuelan people. As president, I will immediately grant TPS to Venezuelans already in the United States.”
The TPS bill was authored by Florida members of Congress from both sides of the aisle: Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, from Miami, and Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, from Kissimmee.
Menendez said the effort, though largely symbolic, helps to spotlight an issue that President Donald Trump could fix. “The fact of the matter is we have 200,000 Venezuelans who are currently in the U.S. and essentially at risk of deportation,” he said. “The president has all the authority he needs in the world to provide TPS and he hasn’t, so we’re trying to act.”
Menendez said a federal court decision on Monday that overturned a lower court’s temporary injunction to prevent Trump from terminating TPS for countries like Haiti blunts arguments from Republicans like Florida Sen. Rick Scott that TPS isn’t temporary and can extend for decades. Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals were granted TPS in 1999 after the two countries were devastated by Hurricane Mitch. Haiti was granted TPS in 2011 after the 2010 earthquake.
Scott attempted to pass a conservative overhaul of the Temporary Protected Status system in September 2019 in exchange for extending TPS to Venezuelans, but Democrats blocked the effort.
“We presented an alternative that Democrats have blocked,” Scott spokesperson Chris Hartline said. “The politics internally in the Senate is still complicated. It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much of a resolution.”
In a statement, Durbin said Democrats were forced to bring up the bill again on the floor because Republicans have no interest in using normal procedure to debate and vote on TPS.
“Despite the chest thumping to audiences in Florida about taking on the Venezuelan dictatorship, President Trump has, in fact, turned his back on Venezuelans in the U.S. in need of protection,” said Durbin, who also spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó ahead of Wednesday’s action. “Since the White House wouldn’t act, more than one year ago the House passed a bipartisan bill granting TPS to Venezuelans. But the Majority Leader [Mitch McConnellhttps://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/venezuelan-immigrants-united-states-2018">Migration Policy Institute, though many have become naturalized citizens. TPS is for non-citizens.
“There is no question about it, TPS is on the ballot on Nov. 3,” Miami Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala said during a virtual press conference with the Family Action Network Movement on Tuesday. “We’ve got to tell our friends and neighbors that decency and opportunity is on the ballot on Nov. 3. This decision is outrageous.”
The Biden campaign on Tuesday called the court decision “senseless.”
“This is senseless and a stark reminder that Donald Trump is willfully tearing families apart and sending TPS holders back to devastating conditions for the sole purpose of pursuing his racist, anti-immigrant agenda,” Biden’s national Latino media director Jennifer Molina said in a statement. “TPS recipients and their families, whether from Nicaragua, Haiti, or any country affected by this inhumane decision, should be assured that Joe Biden will continue to fight for a fair, humane, and orderly immigration system that is defined by compassion, not cruelty.”
Marleine Bastien, a Haitian activist whose Family Action Network Movement is a plaintiff in a TPS lawsuit filed in New York, echoed Shalala’s sentiments. She said advocates like her will continue to fight on behalf of the estimated 400,000 TPS holders affected by Monday’s court decision and will continue to urge Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Scott “to put their action where their mouths are and support TPS recipients.”
Rubio and Scott support TPS for Venezuelans, but other Republicans in the Senate and the Trump administration have refused to take action on the issue.
“We ask Sen. Rubio and Sen. Scott to raise their voices on behalf of the people who have TPS, raise their voices on behalf of the families of those with TPS so that we can find a permanent solution for these people and their children,” Bastien said in Creole during the call.
Under the decision, the earliest any of the TPS holders from Nicaragua, Sudan or Haiti would be affected would be March. Nationals of El Salvador wouldn’t find themselves in deportation proceedings until November.
The case is one of several TPS-related lawsuits against the Trump administration in the U.S. federal courts. Haitians currently are protected by another temporary injunction, this one issued last year by U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz of the Eastern District of New York. In a 145-page federal ruling that the administration has since appealed, Kuntz issued a nationwide temporary injunction preventing DHS from terminating TPS for Haitians.
Kuntz said 50,000 to 60,000 Haitians and their U.S.-born children would suffer “irreparable harm” if the legal protection ended and they were forced to return to a country that is not safe.
“This administration could grant TPS on its own, but it refuses,” Durbin said. “Senate Republicans could pass the bipartisan House bill to grant Venezuelans TPS, but they also refuse. So let everyone be clear where the real failure to help Venezuelans in the U.S. rests.”
US IMMIGRATION
TPS Holders, Advocates, Communities Condemn Court Decision on Injunction in TPS Case Ramos v. Nielsen
WHO: Family Action Network Movement, Florida Immigrant Coalition, American Friends Service Committee
MIAMI – In the wake of the decision on the current injunction in the case Ramos v. Nielsen, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, their families and communities will be holding a virtual press conference to condemn the negative decision. In Miami alone, it is estimated that 23,000 TPS recipients will be affected by this decision, many of which have been in the United States for more than 20 years.
Thousands across the nation are rallying against the decision on the injunction preventing hundreds of thousands of deportations and to draw attention to the fact TPS holders and their families deserve and urgently need a path to permanent residency and citizenship here in the U.S.
Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), stated, “ This is terrible news! The court’s decision today leaves nearly 300,000 TPS holders vulnerable to one of the biggest mass deportations in our country’s history. These hardworking taxpayers, many of whom have resided in the United States for over twenty years, could be forced to return during a global pandemic to vulnerable nations still struggling from political turmoil, violence, and unrest. In addition, their over 275,000 U.S. citizen children would have to make the heart wrenching decision whether to leave their home or be separated from their families. How can we be a nation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if we continue to allow for family separation?! How can we profess to be a nation of immigrants if we continually disdain and disregard those who are black and brown? We demand U.S Senators to rebuke this disgusting decision and to immediately pass “The Dream and Promise Act” passed by the House of Representatives in 2019 protecting TPS recipients. Since 1990, TPS holders have only been protected temporarily. They are completely unprotected now. Congress must protect them! We must all protect them! It is our moral duty as Americans and as people.”
Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition stated, “In a brave attempt to keep their families together, the children of TPS holders spearheaded a case (Ramos v. Nielsen). Over the past twenty years, TPS holders have laid down roots in the United States. They’ve created families, businesses, and in the middle of a pandemic, nearly 130,000 of essential TPS working in the frontlines across the country have kept us safe. This negative decision is cruel, exposing families and making them vulnerable to family separations. Now, more than ever, we need to stand with our immigrant communities. We will continue working to transform existing legislation and public policies in order to ensure that they are inclusive, equitable, and just to the hundreds of thousands of TPS holders and DACA recipients, and the millions of immigrants who reside in the U.S. We need to act now, protect TPS holders, and ask for a permanent solution.”
BACKGROUND:
There are over 400,000 people living in the United States with TPS and over 200,000 U.S. citizen children of TPS holders. In the wake of disasters in foreign countries, the U.S. government granted humanitarian relief (in the form of TPS) to people from affected countries already living in the United States. For the countries at issue in the lawsuit, the U.S. government extended TPS repeatedly—for at least 8 years, and in the case of most countries for more than 15 years—based on repeated findings that it remains unsafe to return. In the past year, the Trump administration announced the termination of TPS for over 98% of TPS holders, from six countries. The lawsuit Ramos v. Nielsen concerns the first four of the terminations—of Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador. This is the first time any TPS termination has been enjoined by a federal court.
More information on the lawsuit, links to the court filings and decisions, and profiles of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit availablehere.
Obama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election
The Hill
Former President Obama called on the Senate not to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, urging Republicans to live up to the standard they set in 2016 when they refused to give a hearing to his final nominee, Merrick Garland.
Obama, in a statement responding to Ginsburg's death, praised the late judge as a "warrior for gender equality" who showed "unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals."
The former president also nodded to Ginsburg's reported statement to her granddaughter before her death that her "most fervent wish" was that her replacement be named by the next president. Ginsburg died earlier Friday. She was 87. "Four and a half years ago, when Republicans refused to hold a hearing or an up-or-down vote on Merrick Garland, they invented the principle that the Senate shouldn’t fill an open seat on the Supreme Court before a new president was sworn in," Obama said.
"A basic principle of the law — and of everyday fairness — is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous in the moment," he continued. "The rule of law, the legitimacy of our courts, the fundamental workings of our democracy all depend on that basic principle.
"As votes are already being cast in this election, Republican Senators are now called to apply that standard," Obama said.
The court's decisions in the coming years "are too consequential to future generations for courts to be filled through anything less than an unimpeachable process," the former president said.
BREAKING NEWS…Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski announces she will not vote to replace RBG on the Supreme Court until after a new president is inaugurated.
That would be a double standard. And I will not support it, she says.