| | |  Americas & Beyond 
U.S.-Mexico Border Immigrant Rights Groups Aiding Haiti
 Frontera NorteSur
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January 18, 2010
 |  | Many in immigrant detention continue to face inhumane conditions and pervasive abuses that have led to over 100 deaths, as recently revealed by the New York Times.
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights |  | | |
Deeply moved by the massive destruction of the Haiti earthquake, residents of the US-Mexico border region are contributing to relief efforts. In El Paso, Texas, the American Red Cross reported 240 donations received by Friday, January 15. Local schools are enlisting in the the aid campaign, and a private business, Agua Boutique, is collecting clothing that will be shipped to a New York charity for delivery to Haiti.
On Friday, January 15, US Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-El Paso) co-sponsored a measure to make Haiti donations deductible for the 2009 tax year.
Several dozen Haitian immigrants are believed to be living in El Paso, and some have already reported confirmed or suspected casualties among relatives still on the Caribbean island. For instance, El Paso residents Coolidge and Gemme Imperial reported losing a sister in the devastating quake that left Haiti's capital city in ruins.
Down the Rio Grande, residents of Brownsville, Texas are also taking up the Haiti cause. Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada urged his townspeople to support Bishop Raymundo Peña's call for donations to Haiti Earthquake Relief. Ahumada suggested each resident could make a five-dollar donation simply by writing the word "Haiti" on a check to the Public Utilities Board which will then forward the money to the relief fund.
With 54,000 utility accounts maintained by the board, Ahumada projected that $270,000 could be quickly raised to help Haitians. Living in a city vulnerable to hurricanes, it behooves Brownsville residents to come to the aid of others in a moment of crisis, Ahumada said. "So let's join together to help those in need," he added.
The Obama administration, meanwhile, acted January 15 on a long-standing demand by US immigrant advocacy organizations to grant undocumented Haitians Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States; the administration had earlier halted deportations of Haitian nationals.
Granted to citizens of countries afflicted by war, natural disaster or other calamity, TPS will allow Haitians to get temporary work permits and legally remain in the US for 18 months. An estimated 875,000 Haitians currently reside in the US, with tens of thousands not possessing proper immigration papers.
Frank Sharry, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Americas Voice immigrant advocacy group, praised President Obama and a bipartisan group of members of Congress for backing and approving TPS.
"With TPS, these immigrants will be able to live and work here legally and send money to help affected loved ones back home," Sharry said in a statement.
Experts estimate that as much as 60 percent of Haiti's Gross Domestic Product comes from migrant remittances and direct assistance from government and non-government sources.
Meanwhile, another group, the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, called on the Obama administration to release thousands of Haitian immigrants lingering in US detention facilities, especially those with families in the US and who do not pose a public safety risk.
"Many in immigrant detention continue to face inhumane conditions and pervasive abuses that have led to over 100 deaths, as recently revealed by the New York Times," the network said in a statement.
Additional sources: CNN en Español, January 15 and 16, 2010. El Paso Times, January 15 and 16, 2009. Articles by Adriana Gomez Licon and the Associated Press. Riograndeguardian.com, January 15, 2010..
Frontera NorteSur (FNS)
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
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