Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 27 septembre 2017

 The Embassy of Haiti Hosts Congressional Dinner to Address the Renewal of TPS for Haitians

In the framework of the Haitian government’s efforts to encourage the U.S. government to renew the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Haitians following the January 2010 earthquake, a status which is slated to expire on January 22, 2018, the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C. hosted members of Congress for a working dinner on the evening of Tuesday, September 12. In addition to the elected officials, the dinner brought together representatives of civil society organizations engaged in the movement to renew TPS for Haitians.

According to Ambassador Paul Altidor, this initiative, both by the profile of the guests and the depth of the conversations, reflects the Haitian government’s desire to create a synergy between the various forces advocating for the renewal of TPS. The members of Congress in attendance expressed their willingness to provide their full support to the TPS dossier. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, declared that Haitians in general are exemplary citizens, and he is therefore ready to provide his unwavering support to the TPS renewal movement.

                  According to some of Haiti’s most prominent and veteran advocates in the U.S. Congress, among them representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson and Alcee Hastings, defending the Haitian cause in the United States has never been easy. For this reason, in addition to their own political support, the elected officials expressed the need for a strong engagement of the Haitian Diaspora in the TPS matter.

The members of Congress also pointed out that in the context of the upcoming 2018 legislative and local elections in the United States, the Haitian Diaspora must put their weight in the balance, even those who are not directly affected by TPS. Congressman Sanford Bishop, Representative of Georgia’s 2nd District, stated that Haitians are an undeniable force in some states and districts, and must use this as an asset for the TPS renewal campaign. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Representative of Texas’s 18th District and member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, asserted that the business community, academia, churches, healthcare workers, and airport workers must make their voices heard to mobilize support for the renewal of TPS.

During the dinner, participants also discussed the idea that TPS holders must express themselves and tell their personal stories in order to sensitize ordinary American citizens who are not familiar with the issue, so they know that TPS recipients are their neighbors, classmates, co-workers, fellow churchgoers, and healthcare providers. The representatives of the civil society organizations advocating for TPS renewal, among them the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the Haitian Lawyers Association (HLA), and the Open Society Foundations, all affirmed the merits of such a strategy.

The members of Congress reiterated their willingness to put all their political weight in the balance to help the Haitian government obtain an extension of TPS for 18 months. For instance, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Representative of New York’s 9th District, informed the group that she plans to reach out to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other entities within Congress to enlist their support.

This working dinner held at the Embassy of Haiti was the first of a series of such activities to be hosted at the Embassy with key stakeholders as the TPS renewal movement intensifies. It was also the first major meeting between the various actors advocating for the renewal of TPS since the announcement by the Embassy of the creation of a TPS Taskforce and the setting up of a hotline to provide legal guidance to TPS beneficiaries. TPS, which was granted to Haitians following the earthquake of January 12, 2010, expires on January 22, 2018. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security must announce its decision on the renewal of TPS for Haitians at the end of November 2017.

New York Congresswoman Says Push to Defend Temporary Protected Status Underway

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) says that she and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer are putting pressure on President Donald Trump to come up with a solution for recipients of the Temporary Protected Status program, which benefits people from countries experiencing humanitarian crises.

TPS, which is run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provides sanctuary and work authorization to foreign nationals fleeing disaster or violence at home. Amid the push to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for undocumented youth brought to the United States in their early childhood, congressional Democrats have been looking toformulate a strategyto get Trump to extend TPS.

On Monday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Dukeannouncedthat Sudanese recipients will have to leave the U.S. by November 2, 2018 on the grounds that “conditions in Sudan no longer support its designation.” She said that extending Sudan’s TPS status for another year will allow “for an orderly transition.” But sheextendedSouth Sudan’s designation until May 2, 2019 due to the fact that the “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary temporary conditions” that brought about the 2016 TPS pre-designation have continued.

Both countries’ TPS statuses were set to expire on November 2.

Clarke, the first congresswoman of Caribbean descent, told the Observer at “Moment of Truth: Where America Stands on Immigration,” a forum in Manhattan earlier this week, that she had a conversation with Schumer and that he understands TPS “intimately” because many of his constituents are currently protected under TPS.

Big change in the process for U.S. visas

In a document transferred to U.S. embassies around the world, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that from now on, visitors who need a visa to enter the United States will have to declare what they plan to do during their stay in the United States, which may not exceed three months.

During these three months, the recipients of a tourist visa can only do what they declared during their interview to obtain their visa. They cannot marry American citizens, go to school, or work, if they don’t want to be considered as individuals who came to United States with the intention to lie, or deceive immigration officials. 

If fraud is discovered, they would be liable to deportation.

And that's not all!

Somebody who comes to the United States as a tourist, falls in love and gets married within 90 days, and proceeds to asks for a green card will have their application turned down, according to Diane Rish, Deputy Director of Governmental Relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "This is a significant change of policy."

These measures are within the framework of Donald Trump's strategy to significantly reduce the flow of illegal and legal immigrants in the United States. These new rules do not however apply to the citizens of 38 countries - including Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan - which do not need visas to return in the USA.

Haitian President backs Paris climate accord, calls on UN to honour commitments on tackling cholera

UN News Centre - 21 September 2017 – Addressing the United Nations General Assembly today, Jovenel Moise, President of Haiti, expressed deep commitment to the environmental targets in the global goals on sustainable development and said his island nation is seeking to build its resilience against the natural disasters and extreme weather events that consistently beleaguer its people and other countries in the Caribbean.

“My Government is committed to theParis Agreementon climate change,” Mr. Moise told delegations gathered for the Assembly’s annual general debate, adding that he wished to see those countries most responsible for greenhouse gas production contribute the resources necessary for implementing that accord.

In the Caribbean, recent back-to-back extreme weather events had drawn attention to the ways in which climate affects Haiti. “Such weather phenomena are due to the impact of humans on the environment,” he stressed, and noted that in January 2018, when Haiti assumed the presidency of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), it would organize a regional conference aimed at establishing an inter-State commission that would devise a strategy for addressing climate issues, such as the availability of climate insurance.

More broadly, he said Haiti has taken steps to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, having made significant efforts to promote development and political stability. Noting that corruption has “infected” and eroded Haiti’s economy, and compromised its political situation, he said it is time that official development assistance (ODA) and domestic resources upheld the interests of the Haitian nation. In the meantime, Haiti’s new leaders are waging an unwavering struggle against corruption.

Addressing two phenomena stemming from the UN presence in Haiti – heinous sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and other personnel, and the cholera epidemic – he said the Organization is morally obliged to provide the recourses to ensure that cholera left the country.

Improving Haiti’s health system, including by eradicating cholera, is a Government priority for his Despite some progress, the number of cholera victims stood at 10,000 people and continued to grow. Further, there were tens of thousands of cholera orphans. The United Nations must live by and give tangible form to its noble ideals, including the announced ‘new approach’ to dealing with cholera, he stressed, by shouldering all its responsibilities to remedy the situation, which had caused grave harm to the Haitian people.

President Moïse is assaulted with rocks – The police has to evacuate the head of state

While attending an improvised pro-governmental rally on the road to the Airport, President Jovenel Moïse got caught at an intersection near the Airport, where unidentified people threw stones at him, according to witnesses.

The rocks were aimed at the president’s procession. This provoked deep tensions in the area, in spite of a strong police presence.

Returning from New York after his participation in the 72^nd General Assembly of the United Nations, the Head of State walked from the Toussaint Louverture International Airport at the head of a crowd of sympathizers of the Haitian Party Tèt Kale (Phtk). He was quickly evacuated from the tense environment.

Passers-by, small shopkeepers, and students who were heading home were also victims, following an intervention by the police.

Upon his arrival, the president was accompanied by several members of his government, in particular Aviol Fleurant, Secretary of Planning and External Cooperation.

A crowd of sympathizers of the Head of State came to welcome him, some of whom wore shirts with his picture.

There were also several individuals in military fatigues, claiming to be members of the Armed Forces of Haiti, who came to support Moïses. The Haitian Armed Forces of Haiti has been defunct for more than 20 years. In a later press release, the Ministry of Defense expressed regret for this display.   

Protest against President Jovenel Moïse last Wednesday night in Brooklyn, and on Thursday in front of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan

Brooklyn, September 21^st 2017-(AHP) - Everything had apparently started well at l'Eglise Chrétienne Croisade Evangélique of Pastor Nicholas, who is presumed to be close to President Jovenel Moïse.

Moïse was able, on apparently friendly territory, to attack his opponents and to praise the 2017-2018 budget rejected by almost all of the sectors of the country. This budget, he said, is going to boost the economy of the country, by attacking those whom he tried to present as corrupt.

As a result, he promised to intensify the fight against corruption under the applauses of a hand-selected public, which already supported his cause. He also praised the fact that today, in Haiti, there are 16 points where passports are delivered, compared to only one previously, he said.

Jovenel Moïse praised his good relationship with the parliament, a parliament which voted for "forty laws" in 7 months, but which also voted with blindfolds for the text of the financial law which penalizes the poorest, according to numerous sectors, and which puts him, the president, in an extremely complicated situation.

But, barely out of the partisanship atmosphere of Pastor Nicholas’s church, the Head of State fell in a bees’ nest with about a hundred people who waited for him, shouting of "Down with Jovenel!” “Cancel your budget, assassin.” “Return our $1.50.”

They also made it known that “President Moïses is going to pay dearly for his arrogance and his refusal to compromise."

Several protestors denounced the complicity which exists between Moïse and former Senator Edwin Zenny who called to assassinate members of five families from the private business sector, among whom are the Vorbes and Rouzier, whom he holds responsible for financing protests throughout the country.

Another protest took place on Thursday, September 21st in front of the United Nations where Jovenel Moïse made a speech, stating that he planned to restore Haiti’s army, and that the United Nations had to compensate Haiti for having introduced cholera into the country.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 5 octobre 2017

 Violence erupts at budget opposition protest in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - 01 October 2017 - 01H40

Demonstrators in Haiti took to the streets of Port-au-Prince Saturday for an opposition-backed protest against the government budget, which many believe hurts the nation's poorest.

The unpopular budget, released in July, will come into effect on October 1 -- with opponents of President Jovenel Moses concerned poorer families will suffer tax increases.

After three hours, violence erupted on the sidelines of the peaceful procession of around 2,000 people as it arrived in the affluent area of Petionville.

Protesters dispersed from the march -- the latest in a series of demonstrations this month -- breaking shop windows and targeting vehicles and media covering the event with stones.

Some demanding the removal of Moses said they threw stones to demonstrate the issue had escalated past the point of no return.

"We need someone in power who can help the poorest people to survive, not once again favor the richest," protester Rene Sanon Fils, parading on Saturday by motorcycle, told AFP.

"If today Jovenel refuses to listen to reason, we will take our challenge to another level. Notice to everyone for the coming week: sharpen your machetes, we will tear off those that are only weeds," he warned.

During the second half of the march, demonstrators also blocked traffic using barricades made of stones and garbage.

Police were forced to use tear gas grenades to contain the violence, denounced by the political parties who organized the protest.

Opposition lawmakers have decried the budget for fiscal year 2017-2018, saying it would balloon Haiti's debt.

The Chilean company LAW was forbidden to land at the airport in Port-au-Prince. Angry travelers were obliged to return home

At Haiti’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport last Wednesday, several hundred Haitians were unable to embark their flight to Chile because of a decision by the Office of National Service Civil Aviation (OFNAC), to refuse the authorization of landing to a Chilean plane from the LAW airline.

The decision, which angered passengers, forced the Police to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating even more. The travelers, frustrated from having waited in vain, returned home while waiting for explanations.

This decision follows a dispute which has been dragging for months, between the ONAC and its Chilean counterpart, which categorically refused, last May, to increase the number of flights by Dynamic Air Ways, a Haitian company traveling to Chile.

In the meantime, the people in charge at OFNAC, those in public works and the Chilean Ambassador in Port-au-Prince have addressed the situation, but no solution has been reached. However, on the Haitian side, a moratorium was given to the company Law to pressure the Chilean authorities to revise its position.

New ambassador of Canada accredited in Haiti

Mr. André Frenette was accredited as Canada’s newest Ambassador in Haiti on September 5^th of this year.

During his first message to the Haitian people, he highlighted a few points:

"In June, 2017 Canada launched its new international aid policy, placing equality of gender, and strengthening the power of women at the heart of its program for development. We stress the development of a stable, prosperous and fair Haitian State, which can provide to the Haitian people, particularly to women and girls, healthcare and education, as well as economic outlets.

Haiti remains at the heart of Canada’s international priorities, and it is with great pride that I declare: “Nou la Ayiti!"

World Trade Center Haiti

Mr. Jean-Claude P. Cantave

Executive Director and Treasurer

World Trade Center Haiti

Dear Mr. Cantave,

Subject: Invitation to participate at the 7^th Global Economic Summit on ‘Global Value Chains: Accelerating SME Growth and Development’

(February 22-24, 2018 at Mumbai, India)

We are pleased to invite World Trade Center Haiti to participate in the 7^th edition of the Global Economic Summit on ‘Global Value Chains: Accelerating SME Growth and Development’ from February 22-24, 2018 at World Trade Centre Mumbai. This Summit is jointly organized by World Trade Centre Mumbai and All India Association of Industries (AIAI). The highlights of the three-day Summit are Conference, Exhibition, B2B Meetings, industry/ field visit and release of Handbook on GVCs.

International trade is increasingly being driven by trade in value added goods and intermediate goods as well as trade in services. In this age of globalization, production and services network has transcended national boundaries and the entire world has become one integrated value chain. Companies across the world increasingly prefer to source intermediate goods and services from suppliers and service providers in foreign countries to gain cost efficiency and productivity.

The 7^th edition of the Global Economic Summit will stimulate a multi-dimensional discussion on the opportunities and challenges for SMEs in connecting with the Global Value Chains. The Summit will discuss the significance of GVCs in attaining sustainable development goals, emerging opportunities for SMEs in the GVC, imperatives of access to finance, infrastructure and logistics services, government policies as catalyst for GVCs, GVCs in the age of technological revolution.

We look forward to your positive response and thank you in anticipation.

Best regards,

Vijay Kalantri
Board Director – World Trade Center Association, New York

UN Fund for Sexual Abuse Victims Grows to $1.5 Million

A U.N. fund to help victims of sexual abuse by peacekeepers and U.N. staff has now grown to $1.5 million following contributions from 10 more countries including Sri Lanka, whose troops were implicated in a three-year-long child sex ring in Haiti.

By KRISTA LARSON, Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A U.N. fund to help victims of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and U.N. staff has now grown to $1.5 million following contributions from 10 more countries including Sri Lanka, whose troops were implicated in a child sex ring in Haiti.

Critics called the fund "tiny" and said it would only provide general support services rather than payouts to individual victims.

The U.N. Department of Field Support made the announcement Wednesday in New York, a week after a special session was held on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly to address the scourge of sexual violence by U.N. staff and peacekeepers in missions around the world. It was the most detailed accounting to date made public about the fund's contributors.

The new contributions to the trust fund, which had previously been estimated at about $500,000, will initially be used to boost services for victims in Congo, according to the announcement. Projects are also expected in several of the other countries with high numbers of allegations: Central African Republic, Haiti and Liberia.

"These contributions reinforce the Secretary-General's clear commitment to putting the rights and dignity of victims first," it said.

While some young women have managed to confirm paternity in cases of abuse and exploitation by U.N. staff or peacekeepers, individual payments are rare and even then can take years to receive.

The $1.5 million special U.N. fund is limited in scope, emphasized Paula Donovan, co-director of AIDS-Free World, which has investigated U.N. sexual abuses through its Code Blue Campaign.

"Let's be clear: This 'trust fund' is not what it appears to be. It provides no funds to individual victims," she said Thursday. "Instead, it is a tiny pot of money to be dispersed by the United Nations to fund organizations that provide generalized services in a fraction of the affected communities."

A recent year-long investigation by The Associated Press found that more than 700 of the approximately 2,000 allegations of sexual misconduct since 2004 had taken place in Congo, an enormous African country that is home to the world's largest U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The AP investigation found that the U.N. failed to meet many of its pledges to help victims, some of whom have been lost to a sprawling bureaucracy. Cases have disappeared, or have been handed off to the peacekeepers' home countries — which often do nothing with them.

Justice is even more elusive, because the cases are referred to the alleged perpetrators' home countries. The AP found that even after a U.N. investigation discovered a three-year child sex ring involving Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Haiti, Sri Lanka prosecuted no one.

The South Asian country was among the 10 announced as contributors Thursday though it was not immediately clear how much the nation may have donated as no breakdown was made public. The announcement also noted that $102,000 of the money comes from withholding payments to alleged perpetrators in cases where complaints were substantiated.

Other new contributors to the fund whose peacekeepers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct include Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan. Albania, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland also have made unspecified donations, joining Bhutan, Cyprus, India, Japan and Norway, the U.N. said.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Antiracist lesson of a general of the US Air Forces Academy to his pupils

In front of 4,000 pupils, lieutenant-general Jay Silveria of the US Air Force Academy made a speech advocating respect after discovering a racist incident at the academy’s prep school. The video of his speech was shared by numerous Americans through social media.

It was strong message which was sent to the students of the United States Air force Academy (USAFA). After the discovery of an insult for racist character ("Go home nigger") was written on a board of this prestigious military academy, the superintendent, lieutenant-general Jay Silveria, held a press conference for about 5 minutes to promote the values of respect and tolerance.

In front of 4,000 silent pupils, lieutenant-general Silveria showed himself categorical: "This kind of behavior does not have its place in the school, it does not have its place in the USAFA, and it does not have its place in the Air Force of the United States. […] I have already said it: the zone of dignity and respect is my red line. Allow me to be clear, it will not be crossed without important repercussions."

The outcry is now general

A more unpopular Executive would be hard to find!!! And the rumbling of discontent against the administration is growing at an exponential speed!!!

Last Friday, there were multiple demonstrations against the government’s criminal budget and its penalizing approach. This is true in every corner of Haiti: Petit Goave, Arcahaie, Cap-Haïtien, and even in Trou du Nord, thus in JoMo’s home turf. This is more than symbolic and significant!!!

Are the days of this government counted? This will depend on the president’s morbid stubbornness in his delivery "I have spoken and that's all there is to it"!!!

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 11 octobre 2017

 The Star

Meat for guns - Cop says stolen animals shipped to Haiti

by

Leon Jackson

October 03, 2017

Animals are being stolen, slaughtered and shipped to Haiti to be exchanged for guns, the police have said. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kevin Francis, who made the claim, said Jamaica is currently losing some $6 billion annually to praedial larceny.

"Praedial larceny is a big organised business in Jamaica. The thieves steal the animals, slaughter them for the meat, which they ship to Haiti, where it is exchanged for guns," said Francis, who heads the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit.

"It is a serious problem and it is affecting our crime rate negatively." Francis said.

The cop, who was speaking at last Thursday's awards ceremony at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority boardroom in Hague, Trelawny, said the thieves have even managed to drive fear into their victims.

LEGAL ACTION

 In relating a story of a farmer who recently lost four of his prized goats to thieves, Francis said that after the thieves were apprehended by the police, the farmer refused to provide a statement so that legal action could be taken against them.

"When we found the thieves and decided to take action against them, the farmer flatly refused to give a statement against them or come to court," said Francis. "According to him, he is fearful of getting caught up in the 'informer fi dead' mentality, which is common across the country."

In declaring that the police cannot fight the battle against praedial thieves on their own, Francis has urged the farming community to step up to the plate and play their part.

"The police need your help. When information is lacking, it affects our success rate, so you need to play your part by providing information and going to court when these thieves are caught."

Meanwhile, four outstanding farmers, who have collectively given over 131 years of service to agriculture, were honoured at the ceremony. They are Sylvester Green, Hebert Bell, Rupert Brown, and Headley Brown.

In addition to being outstanding farmers, the four awardees are long-serving members of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, which is the official umbrella organisation for farmers in Jamaica.

Popular pirate radio station for Haitian music in Miami hit by hefty FCC fine

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

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OCTOBER 05, 2017 7:00 AM

It’s the pulse of the Haitian music industry in Miami, organizing some of the most popular big-ticket parties while promoting bands and guiding konpa musicfans to the next hit.

But Radio Touche Douce is a pirate radio station, an underground operation that the federal government is accusing of illegally broadcasting from a shed in a North Miami backyard.

“There’s nothing funny about pirate radio, which interferes with the lawful use of the airwaves and can disrupt public safety communications,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said last week, announcing the decision against Touche Douce, which broadcasts in English and Haitian-Creole.

“The FCC won’t tolerate the unauthorized and illegal use of the radio spectrum,” Pai said. “Towards that end, I’ve made it a commission priority to crack down on pirate radio operations. And with today’s action, we again back up these words with action.” 

Polynice, who has owned the station for 24 years, refused to talk about the case. Harold Sido, who own the North Miami property with the shed along with wife Veronise, did not respond to the Miami Herald’s request for comment. 

Polynice and the Sidos have 30 days to respond to the proposed fine. 

Factbox: New war on cholera aims to consign killer disease to history books

REUTERS

Emma Batha

3 MIN READ

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The World Health Organization and other agencies will launch an ambitious plan on Wednesday (October, 4^th) to slash cholera deaths by 90 percent by 2030 and eventually consign the disease to the history books.

Here are some facts:

- Cholera affects more than 40 countries across the globe, resulting in an estimated 2.9 million cases and 95,000 deaths

- It is spread by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

- Cholera causes acute watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can lead to extreme dehydration and cause death within hours.

- As many as 1.2 billion people - or one in six - are at risk globally.

- On average cholera costs the world an estimated $2 billion a year in treatment and hospitalization as well as loss to productivity.

- The disease occurs where people lack access to clean water

and hygienic toilets.

- Outbreaks often occur after natural disasters or during humanitarian emergencies.

- In Yemen, the most explosive outbreak on record has caused nearly 700,000 suspected cases and more than 2,000 deaths since late April.

- There have also been recent outbreaks in Nigeria, Haiti and Democratic Republic of Congo.

- WHO-approved oral cholera vaccines cost $6 per person, offering protection for up to three years.

- The new global plan focuses on tackling cholera hotspots, where outbreaks occur at the same time each year, by improving water and sanitation services, and through use of oral vaccines.

- The strategy could help eliminate cholera in 20 affected countries by 2030, according to the WHO.

- India is the worst affected country with more than 675,000 cases a year, according to the charity WaterAid. It also has the greatest number of people living without access to clean water, and the most living without a decent toilet.

- Ethiopia and Nigeria, which follow in second and third place, also have the second and third highest number of people living without clean water.

- Other countries in the top 10 are Haiti, DRC, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, Uganda and Mozambique.

Sources: WHO and WaterAid

Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 18 octobre 2017

Immigrants in U.S. seeking safe haven worry Trump may send them back

Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of Salvadorans, Haitians and others now sheltered in the United States from danger in their home countries might have to leave under a crackdown the Trump administration is weighing on a program that critics slam as “back-door” immigration.

People close to the administration said the White House is considering anti-immigration activists’ appeals for pull-back on the 27-year old U.S. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which protects more than 300,000 people in the country.

“There’s no question people inside the administration want to reform the excesses,” said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration into the United States.

“We have definitely expressed our opinions to the administration. This time there actually are people willing to listen,” Beck said in a telephone interview.

Officials at the State Department and Department of Homeland Security would not comment on administration plans for TPS.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump campaigned last year on a promise to deport large numbers of immigrants, a racially-tinged political theme that won him passionate support among some U.S. voters.

Since he took office in January, Trump has moved to ban U.S. entry by people from select Muslim countries. He also announced the end next March of an Obama-era program giving temporary legal status to “Dreamers” brought illegally into the United States as children, unless Congress revives it.

ADVERTISING

Now immigration advocacy groups fear Trump will curtail TPS by refusing to renew the protected status of some of the nine countries covered: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Last month, Sudan was slated for TPS termination, effective November 2018. Immigration groups were heartened somewhat that South Sudan’s status was renewed in September through mid-2019.

Advocacy groups said they are also concerned Trump might seek legislative changes making it harder to designate TPS countries.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which also seeks to reduce overall immigration, said the administration is assessing each country’s status. “In the past it was routine renewal,” he said.

FAIR would be “open” to TPS continuing, Mehlman said, but only with assurances that participation is temporary and “not a 20-year stay.”

Several immigration advocacy groups said officials within the administration have told them significant changes to TPS were being debated among agencies and the White House.

In July, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security fired a warning shot when it renewed Haiti’s designation for only six months instead of the typical 18 months. “During this six-month extension, beneficiaries are encouraged to prepare for their return to Haiti in the event Haiti’s designation is not extended again,” the department warned.

TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT?

Critics have complained the program allows participants to repeatedly extend their stays in 6-18 month increments in case of a natural disaster, civil strife or other emergencies in their homelands.

Haiti, for example, has had TPS designation for seven years; El Salvador for 16 years. “It’s not TPS, it is PPS, Permanent Protected Status,” Beck said. “The chance of someone having to leave is closer to the chance of being struck by lightning.”

Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York, acknowledged TPS needs repair, but warned that if Trump forced thousands of Salvadorans to go home, they would be easy targets of gang violence after years of living in the United States and raising families.

Many of them “have kids who are U.S. citizens, but it could push the families underground” if parents lose their work permits and face deportation, she said.

Paul Altidor, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, said in a telephone interview that his government is asking the Trump administration for an 18-month extension, citing an ongoing cholera outbreak and destruction from recent hurricanes.

“These people have been strung along,” said Matt Adams, legal director for the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, disputing the critics who say TPS was not meant to provide protection for a decade or more.

He said TPS participants have had their hopes raised and then dashed as repeated attempts in Congress to update the TPS program have sputtered, while past administrations have carved out programs for some groups of immigrants by granting them permanent legal status.

Adams said that in the event of a crackdown, some people, such as those married to U.S. citizens, will have other legal ways to stay.

But he said many of his clients, including entire families, will have their lives “thrown into chaos.”

Reporting By Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Yeganeh Torbati and Jeff Mason; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and David Gregorio

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

No.

The Republic of Haiti has launched an international contest to rebuild its ruined National Palace in Port-au-Prince

Open to locals and international teams led by a Haiti-based practice, the competition seeks proposals to rebuild the former official residence of the president of Haiti, which was reduced to ruins by a major earthquake seven years ago.

The winning team will reconstruct the 1920 structure and submit proposals to rehabilitate its former functions, deliver new administrative spaces, upgrade the site layout and regenerate the wider Champ-de-Mars district.

Announcing the contest, Haitian president Jovenel Moïse said: ‘The new National Palace must make the link between history, culture and the future of the nation. The realisation of a work of this magnitude requires dialogue and communication with citizens to hear their opinions and develop their sense of ownership of all stages of reconstruction.

‘We must learn all the lessons of the 12 January earthquake and [be] vigilant in order to take into account all construction safety standards. The architecture of the palace has made many generations dream [and I want] to reconstruct the exterior facades of the palace in the same way. But inside, there is a need for new accommodations to meet the needs of the organs and services of the presidency of the republic while respecting the construction of a public building.’

2017/53

USAID Awards $4 Million to World Food Program

for Food Security in Haiti

U.S. Embassy Haiti Chargé d’Affaires Robin Diallo Visits WFP Food Warehouse

Port-au-Prince, October 13, 2017- Haiti ranks third globally among countries most affected by extreme weather events. This year alone, less than a year after the devastating Hurricane Matthew, the country was affected by two major hurricanes—Irma and Maria—that brushed past Haiti’s northern coast, causing flooding. A well-prepared and immediate response is needed in order to prevent food shortages and hunger which can often follow a large-scale disaster.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded $4 million to the World Food Program (WFP) in Haiti, to help distribute food more quickly in the aftermath of a disaster. The support helps WFP cut out what can be a lengthy contracting process with stand-by procurement agreements with regional food suppliers who can rapidly stock WFP warehouses with enough commodities to feed as many as 150,000 people for one month.

U.S. Embassy Haiti Chargé d’Affaires Robin Diallo thanked the Government of Haiti and WFP for continued collaboration with the U.S. government as she toured the WFP food warehouse in Port-au-Prince on October 13, 2017.

“We rely on the strength of our partnerships with the Government of Haiti and with organizations like the World Food Program—especially as we share common goals of achieving fast and efficient emergency response and increased social protection for Haitians during times of natural disaster and other crises,” Diallo said. “The USAID Haiti Mission’s Food for Peace (FFP) office has worked diligently on this significant award to WFP to help increase food security via better preparedness to reduce the time it can take to get food to those in need following a disaster,” she said.

Diallo’s visit to the warehouse served to officially announce continued United States support just a few days before World Food Day on October 16. Others accompanying Diallo on her visit to the WFP food warehouse included USAID Mission Director, Jene Thomas, Deputy Mission Director Alexious Butler, Food for Peace Acting Office Chief, Lawrence Oroma, and FFP Deputy Office Chief Sebastian Milardo. World Food Program Haiti Country Director, Ronald Tran Ba Huy, hosted the USAID visit.

STATE SENATOR DAPHNE CAMPBELL ANNOUNCES $500,000.00 APPROPRIATION FOR MIAMI GARDENS MUSEUM

October 19, Miami Gardens FL - This year, the Miami Gardens based African Museum of Arts and Culture (AMAC) has been awarded a state allocation for the sum of $500,000.00 (five hundred thousand dollars).

The awards presentation scheduled for Thursday October 19, 2017 will be held at 2:00 PM on the campus of Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

Marking the second year of appropriation to the organization from a request originated by Senator Campbell, the allocation is considered a milestone towards achieving the mission of creating a center that is designed to be a magnet for culture, tourism and economic activity in the area.

The 2017-2018 appropriation request was sponsored in the house by State Rep. Cynthia Stafford and supported by Senator Oscar Braynon, II. The original land for the museum was donated by the Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners upon the request of District 1 Commissioner Barbara Jordan.

The African Museum of Arts and Culture is a planned, state of the art multipurpose facility for the educational, cultural, economic, and social enrichment of the citizens of the city of Miami Gardens, Florida, and residents of Miami Dade County and its visitors. The facility will house and exhibit art and cultural artifacts, including programming, production and presentations of art, music, dance and related disciplines.

Haiti looks to Benin for guidance on voodoo crimes

Delphine BOUSQUET

,

AFP•October 9, 2017

Cotonou (AFP) - Three senators from Haiti pause in reflection in front of a statue of their country's independence hero Toussaint Louverture in Allada, southern Benin, where he had his roots.

The West African and Caribbean countries, separated by thousands of kilometres (miles) and ocean, share the same history but also the same religion -- voodoo.

Jean Renel Senatus, Jean-Marie Junior Salomon and Ronald Lareche came to Benin late last month on a research trip as part of Haiti's reforms of its 19th-century penal code.

Part of the process is taking advice from countries where their ancestors lived before they were shipped abroad as slaves.

Historically and culturally, "Haiti and Benin are two sides of the same coin," Senatus, a lawyer and president of Haiti's Senate justice commission, told AFP.

"We want to adapt these texts to modern-day life and we're here to see how Benin handles irrational phenomena in law," he said after placing flowers on Louverture's statue.

Benin -- giant Nigeria's tiny western neighbour -- is one of the cradles of voodoo, where it is an official religion and has millions of followers.

The cult of the invisible and natural spirits travelled across the Atlantic Ocean from the 18th century, as millions of West Africans were transported to the New World as slaves.

- 'Zombification' -

The very word "voodoo" typically conjures up a raft of cliches, not least dolls covered in pins.

But certain phenomena are a concern for politicians and has prompted them to wonder: how should a country legislate for crimes linked to the religion?

With zombification, for example, Haitian voodoo priests are said to administer a powder to the victim giving the appearance of clinical death.

The supposed deceased -- exhumed with the help of an undertaker -- can then be exploited in its weakened, semi-conscious state.

Salomon, the vice-president of Haiti's Senate, said zombification "is the fact of being declared dead and openly buried and then 'brought back to life'.

"What's different is that the person 'brought back' then works like a slave."

In working class areas and remote communities in Haiti where there is no confidence in local justice, zombification is a way of settling scores with enemies.

In Benin, the same method exists but for a very different purpose.

"It is used by those initiated in the secret ways of the temples to strengthen their power but they keep an antidote to hand," said Honorat Aguessy, a Beninese sociologist.

In Benin, "voodoo is for good"," he added.

Some people in Benin still use charms to get rid of a rival -- but the weapon stays largely hidden and for lack of evidence, the country has not legislated against occult practices.

Traditional justice, however, still plays a big role in society through the use of traditional rulers.

- Voodoo chief -

In Allada, the three senators met the traditional monarch, Kpodegbe Djigla. "He told us that he is asked to judge certain cases," said Senatus.

Traditional rulers resolve many land disputes because they know local history. Villages have a council of sages comprising elders, community leaders and a voodoo chief.

"It often deals with complaints linked to custom, for example if a widow who is not supposed to leave her house at a certain time does it anyway," said lawyer Sandrine Aholou.

In her work, Aholou sees a mix of the two legal systems: "On the one hand, the civilian justice system accepts traditional justice on the other.

"Tradition influences modern law."

Most of the time, decisions taken by the elders are respected, to the astonishment of the Haitian senators.

For Salomon, it's a question of culture. "Here, people respect tradition," he said.

"In our country, because of the influence of modern life and proximity to the United States, we've abandoned it."