‘Death is not speculative;’ Lawyers representing TPS holders outline risks for returning to Haiti
Lawyers representing Haitians at risk of losing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have filed new documents outlining their support for the stay.
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As News Center 7 previously reported, A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s latest call to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants.
Lawyers for Haitians at risk of losing their TPS filed a statement Monday in support of the stay.
As reported News Center 7 at 6:00, The filing outlines the risks migrants reportedly face when returning to Haiti.
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The lawyers cited a Washington Post article that described the country as a “vortex of disease, poverty, violence (including sexual violence) and death.”
Criminal groups in Haiti have intensified their attacks on the population and infrastructure, paralyzing much of the country and creating one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world, court documents state.
On February 4, news outlets reported that the bodies of four Haitian women deported from the United States several months earlier were found decapitated and thrown into a river.
“The risk of death is not speculative. Just two weeks ago, the bodies of four Haitian women deported from the United States several months ago were found decapitated and thrown into a river,” the lawyers said.
News Center 7’s Malik Patterson spoke with Viles Dorsainvil, President of the Haitian Community Assistance and Support Center, about the filing.
“The hoodlums in Haiti are brutal,” Dorsainvil said.
He said Haitian immigrants are extremely afraid to return.
“When they kidnap a person, you are tortured or even killed. So this is the reality of Haiti,” Dorsainvil said.
He added that they want to return to their own country.
“It’s out of the question that we don’t want to go back to Haiti. Haiti is our country,” he said. “There is no problem in going back there, but there must be at least a level of peace and security that will allow us to return to our country.”
The government has until Thursday to submit a response supporting the motion.
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