Human rights organizations implore President Biden to pause deportations and update TPS for Haitians

More than 480 human rights organizations sent a letter to President Biden asking him to stop deporting Haitians, release detained Haitians, and update Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to allow more Haitian migrants to remain in the U.S. while their country continues facing extreme unrest and violence. However, the Biden administration currently has no plans to change the way it handles the treatment of Haitian migrants to the U.S. They have not deported any Haitians by airplane since the violence began, but they have continued to return those who have been intercepted attempting to arrive by boat. 

“There is no excuse to send anyone to anywhere in Haiti right now. They are using this as an excuse for the inexcusable,” Guerline Jozef, a human rights advocate and co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance said. “The whole country is unstable.”

Senators urge President Biden to speed up the process of legal status for some individuals without proper documentation

Nineteen senators sent a letter to President Biden this week, urging him to swiftly provide legal status to undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens and for individuals who have applied for legal status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The senators argued that the application process for green cards is cumbersome and subject to long waiting periods.

They also asked him to cancel the removal proceedings of undocumented immigrants who act as caregivers for family members who are citizens. “We appreciate your careful consideration of these recommendations and all available options to provide much needed relief for undocumented immigrants and the American businesses, families, and communities that rely upon them,” they wrote.

Another update on immigration bill SB4 in Texas

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has extended the block on SB4, legislation in Texas that would make crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas a state crime. The three justices voted 2-1 to issue the pause. Last week the law had briefly gone into effect after the Supreme Court had issued a decision allowing it to do so.