Bill Summary
This bill is proposing to designate Haiti under Section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which would allow Haitian nationals to be eligible for temporary protected status in the United States during and after certain legal proceedings. This status would provide protection for Haitians who cannot return to their home country due to dangerous or unstable conditions. The bill outlines the findings and reasons for this designation, including the devastating effects of the 2010 earthquake, the ongoing cholera outbreak, and the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew. The bill proposes to designate Haiti for a period of 8 months every 3 months, until a final decision is rendered in two specific court cases, and then for an additional 18 months after that.
Possible Impacts
1) This legislation could affect people by providing temporary protected status for Haitian nationals who were affected by the 2010 earthquake, 2010 cholera outbreak, and 2016 Hurricane Matthew. This could benefit those individuals who may have been displaced or suffered losses due to these disasters.
2) The legislation could also affect people who are currently in the process of seeking asylum or temporary protected status in the United States. They may now be eligible for temporary protected status under this new designation for Haiti.
3) The designation of Haiti for temporary protected status could also have financial implications for both Haiti and the United States. The remittances sent to Haiti from Haitians living in the US could help with Haiti's recovery, while the potential influx of Haitian refugees may impact the US economy and resources.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4112 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4112
To designate Haiti under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality
Act to permit nationals of Haiti to be eligible for temporary protected
status under such section during and after the pendency of certain
litigation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2019
Mr. Hastings (for himself, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mrs.
Demings, Mr. Crist, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Ms.
Shalala, Mr. Soto, Ms. Frankel, and Ms. Castor of Florida) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate Haiti under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality
Act to permit nationals of Haiti to be eligible for temporary protected
status under such section during and after the pendency of certain
litigation, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.0
earthquake.
(2) Approximately 3,000,000 people were affected by the
earthquake, with an estimated 250,000 people losing their lives
and 300,000 people suffering injuries.
(3) On January 21, 2010, the United States designated Haiti
for temporary protected status.
(4) The continued designation of temporary protected status
for Haiti would preserve the per annum estimated $1,000,000,000
in remittances sent to Haiti from Haitians in the United
States.
(5) These remittances exceed the amount of foreign
assistance given to Haiti by the United States and are crucial
to Haiti's recovery.
(6) On October 20, 2010, an outbreak of cholera was
confirmed for the first time in over 100 years.
(7) Haiti continues to work to recover from the devastating
cholera outbreak.
(8) The cholera outbreak is estimated to have killed over
an estimated 9,000 people and infected nearly 800,000 Haitians.
(9) On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti.
(10) Hurricane Matthew resulted in the damage of
approximately 45 percent of Haiti's southwest piped water
supply.
(11) Hurricane Matthew resulted in crop losses estimated to
be $360,000,000.
(12) Hurricane Matthew is estimated to have killed over
1,000 people and directly affected 2.1 million Haitians.
(13) Hurricane Matthew was responsible for the internal
displacement of 175,000 people and left 1.4 million Haitians in
need of urgent humanitarian aid.
(14) Hurricane Matthew is estimated to have resulted in
damages assessed at $1,000,000,000, or roughly 11.4 percent of
Haiti's gross domestic product.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF HAITI FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY
PROTECTED STATUS.
For purposes of section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1254a), Haiti shall be treated as if it had been designated
under subsection (b)(1)(C) of that section--
(1) for a period of 8 months every 3 months during the
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and
ending on the date on which a final decision is rendered in
both--
(A) Ramos v. Nielsen (Northern District, CA; Case
No. 18-cv-01554); and
(B) Saget v. Trump (Eastern District, NY; Case No.
1:18-cv-01599); and
(2) for the 18-month period beginning on the last day of
the last 8-month period under paragraph (1).
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