WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after the State Department announced that Haitians in the United States on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would need to leave the country by July 2019:

“I am deeply concerned that the termination of TPS for Haitians in the United States will have a devastating impact on American and Haitian families, and further destabilize Haiti, a country still recovering from natural disasters and man-made political crises. There are 27,000 children alone who are American citizens with Haitian TPS parents. We must be more humane in our treatment of vulnerable individuals, and I call on my colleagues to take up my legislation to create a pathway to legal residency for hundreds of thousands of TPS recipients who call America their home.  Such a bill is line with America’s values.”

Background:

Cardin has requested documentation from the State Department regarding their TPS decision-making process. Additionally, along with Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Cardin recently introduced the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and in Emergency (SECURE) Act. This legislation would allow qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients to apply for legal permanent residency. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here. The text of the bill can be found here.