Join the Call to

Grant Haitians Asylum on Humanitarian Grounds

Every kindhearted American should join the U.S. Immigration News to call on President Obama and the U.S. Congress to grant trauma stricken Haitians currently living in Haiti who have parents, spouses or sons and daughters in the United States asylum status on humanitarian grounds. As far as compassionate acts are concerned, with the Presidency and the Congress of this most humane nation in the world; all things are possible. It is essential at this time that we all write letters to our representatives in Congress and also to President Obama to amend the current law to accommodate this group of Haitians by granting them refugee status to enter the United States. I watched on TV the fear on the faces of Haitians in Haiti. Some of them were so traumatized that they could not enter their own home. Some reported having nightmares on a daily basis.  The U.S. government should help alleviate the pains of some of these people whose parents, spouses and children are in the United States by using the humanitarian asylum status to speed up their entry into the United States to be cared for by their family members. The current pain and suffering in Haiti will continue for many years. Very soon the lenses of the cameras will be turned away once another event occurs somewhere else in the world, but the sufferings of the people of this poor nation will continue. America cannot possibly feed everyone in Haiti forever. We could get their family members in America to help out by housing them, clothing them and feeding them.  The U.S. government should make the family member sign a contract of care before the asylum status is granted so the few Haitians who are qualified could be given visa to immediately enter the United States. It is important that adequate steps be taken to help now before an outbreak of diseases strikes the tent cities being created. Definitely, the smell of dead bodies, overcrowding and lack of adequate care for those who are not critically injured will lead to the spread of diseases. Let us act to save life, which is what America is known for.  It is true that we cannot bring everyone in Haiti to the United States, but there are some people in Haiti today whose family members in the United States had petitioned for. Some are waiting for appointments with the U.S. Embassy. Someone told me at my Barber shop that his sister had traveled to renew her student visa two days before the earthquake, she is currently stranded in Haiti without any news as to whether she is dead or alive. President Obama could use Executive Order or the Congress could create an act of the legislature to assist these immigrants by creating a class of visa or refugee status to bring these immigrants to the United States.   Haitians cannot be treated as other nations who are far away from the United States. They are so close that when hunger strikes and when there is imminent danger of death, people will be forced to do anything. Haitians will swim in droves to the United States. For effective border control which is the goal of this current administration, a policy of containment should be adopted to reduce pain and suffering by helping some so they could work, make money to help others left in Haiti.  This recommendation is not strange at all. In Europe some of the countries have relief that could be granted to foreigners on humanitarian grounds.  In Europe, they have tried what was called “Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR) whereby people who could not be returned to their home country for human rights reasons, but who did not meet the criteria to be classed as refugees, were given exceptional leave to remain. This was often granted for four years, at the end of which period an application could be made for indefinite leave to remain. They have also used what is called Humanitarian Protection (HP), Discretionary Leave (DL) and many other programs to assist people who are in danger of losing their lives in a hostile environment such as exist in Haiti today.  It is important that all Haitians in the U.S. and all immigrants join this call. It is very simple; just write a short letter to your representative in Congress and another letter to President Obama asking them to grant Haitians with immediate family members in the U.S. special status to enter the United States.  You could use this format for the letter to the President and your representative in Congress. Copy this letter, date it, put your name at the bottom and send it to the President. If you need assistance concerning this article, please call Attorney Joseph Famuyide at 718-647-6767. Also go to our website and add your comment to the bottom of this article. Our website address is www.usimmigrationnewspaper.com  January 26, 2010 The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500 CREATE SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR HAITI Dear President Obama: I want to thank you and all Americans for your help in alleviating the pains of all Haitians through relief efforts currently going on in Haiti.  I humbly want to appeal to you to help relocate some Haitians in Haiti who have family members in the United States to the U.S. These are Haitians who have parents, spouses, children in the United States. Some of them had been petitioned for by their family members and were waiting for their priority dates. Kindly create a special status to speed up their entry into the U.S. so that their family members in the U.S. could care for them.  Thank you for your assistance and leadership at this time.  Sincerely, (Sign here) (Write your name here).