Written Testimony of Guerline Jozef: Policy Recommendations on Haiti for the Biden Administration
- The testimony says the Haitian population in the United States was estimated at close to a million as of 2019.
- It states that kidnappings for ransom rose by 200 percent from 2019 to 2020, leading many schools and other institutions to close.
- It says ICE had deported more than 1000 people to Haiti with a goal of deporting 1,800 by mid-February 2021.
- It recommends redesignating Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, which was first granted in 2010 after the earthquake and redesignated in 2011.
- It recommends restarting the Family Reunification Parole Program and considering the return of Haiti to the H-2A agricultural visa list, with safeguards to prevent worker exploitation.
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, submitted this testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for its March 12, 2021 hearing on policy recommendations on Haiti for the Biden administration. The testimony describes a country facing a political crisis after the disputed 2015 election and the president's decision to stay in office in February 2021, rising kidnappings for ransom, and the lasting effects of the 2010 earthquake, cholera and Hurricane Matthew.
It cites an internal US Citizenship and Immigration Services analysis that Haitians removed to Haiti may face harm, and reports on deportation and expulsion flights in early 2021. It makes four recommendations: redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, stop all deportations and expulsions to Haiti, restart the Family Reunification Parole Program, and consider restoring Haitians' access to the H-2A agricultural visa program with protections for workers.
How to cite
Haitian Bridge Alliance, 2021, Written Testimony of Guerline Jozef: Policy Recommendations on Haiti for the Biden Administration, accessed via HaitiDocs, https://www.haitidocs.org/doc/haitian-bridge-alliance-2021-testimony-house-foreign-affairs
- Rights holder
- Haitian Bridge Alliance