Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has expressed deep concern about the resumed deportation of undocumented Haitian immigrants from the United States.
“I am deeply concerned by the [US] Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent decision to resume the deportation of undocumented Haitian immigrants,” said Clarke, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, on Tuesday.
“As we are all too aware, over the past decade, Haiti has unfortunately been severely impacted by natural disasters and political instability, which contributed to its status as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and caused extreme hardship in the lives of her people,” added the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.
She said that although Haitian infrastructure has “improved somewhat” since the deadly 2010 earthquake, the French-speaking Caribbean country has been contending with a cholera outbreak that has afflicted more than 750,000 people and killed more than 9,000 of women, men and children.
“Given this public health crisis and the current economic and political instability in Haiti, we have a responsibility to our Caribbean sisters and brothers to act with compassion, which includes providing for Haitians already present in the United States,” Clarke said.
She said she was “particularly concerned about the timing of this DHS action, which occurs just a few weeks ahead of Haiti’s upcoming elections.
“I continue to monitor this situation closely and work with my fellow Members of Congress to address this critical humanitarian issue,” she said.
The DHS had suspended deportation of Haitians living illegally in the United States in the immediate aftermath of the massive earthquake that struck the country in 2010.
