As Trump Admin Prepares To Deport Haitian TPS Holders, Durbin Calls For Passage Of The SECURE Act

As Trump Admin Prepares To Deport Haitian TPS Holders, Durbin Calls For Passage Of The SECURE Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for passage of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency(SECURE) Act-legislation that would allow qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. During his remarks, Durbin noted that the legislation is necessary and urgent given last month's decision by the Supreme Court to pave the way for the Trump Administration to end TPS designations without any judicial review. Recent press reports also indicate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has made plans to ramp up arrests and deportations of Haitian TPS holders.

TPS was intended to prevent the deportation of immigrants to countries where it's not safe to return. By law, a TPS designation can only be made or extended in increments of six, 12, or 18 months. Ahead of every TPS expiration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary must reassess conditions in that country and decide whether to renew the designation or let it end.

"The Supreme Court's conservative supermajority has supercharged Trump's mass deportation campaign, with devastating consequences for Temporary Protected Status holders, and the American communities who rely on them," Durbin said. "To take one example, there is no question that Haiti is unsafe. The Department of State, our Department of State, has issued a level four travel advisory, telling Americans that it is unsafe to travel to Haiti due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and civil unrest. That's the official statement of the Department of State of the Trump Administration. So why has the Trump Administration terminated TPS for Haiti and many other countries where it is not safe to return?"

Durbin continued, "Some of my Republican colleagues have claimed that TPS for countries like Haiti must end simply because TPS is supposed to be temporary. But here's the thing: since 1990, 36 years ago when TPS was established, there have been [nearly] 30 TPS designations. Even before the Trump Administration, at least ten of them-to countries like Angola, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone-had their designations made and then officially terminated. In some cases, like Haiti, conditions have never been safe enough to justify a termination."

Durbin continued by noting that Haitian TPS holders have bought homes, started American families, and become a part of our communities. Members on both sides of the aisle oppose deporting them, including Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine who called the Trump Administration's decision to terminate Haiti's TPS "a mistake" and a "job killer" that is "not in the best interest of the United States nor Ohio."

"The Trump-Mullin Administration has ignored the comments of Governor DeWine and others. Instead, ICE is preparing to target these immigrants for arrest and deportation as early as this week-immigrants who have been lawfully present in the United States for years now risk being deported," Durbin said. "This is all so Donald Trump and his trusted adviser Stephen Miller can meet their 2,000 arrests-a-day quota. They aren't looking for the 'worst of the worst' with these Haitians… It's just whether they're Haitian or not Haitian."

Durbin concluded by calling on Congress to give these long-term residents the security and certainty they deserve by passing theSECURE Act.

"Later today, my friend and colleague, Senator Van Hollen of Maryland, will ask for unanimous consent to pass this bill. I join him and appeal to my colleagues-in the name of humanity, for God's sake, don't send these people back to an island which we have already declared is too dangerous for any American to visit," Durbin said. "If they are a threat in any way to any person in America, they need to leave. But if they are leading good lives, doing the best they can for them and their families, give them a chance. It is not too much to ask, and to deport them into this dangerous situation is not consistent with the basic values of America."

Video of Durbin's floor speech is available here.

Audio of Durbin's floor speech is available here.

Footage of Durbin's floor speech is available here for TV Stations.

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