2010/01/17 Obama grants Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants

Haitian immigrants and Immigrant-rights advocates hailed a decision by the Obama administration, in response to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, to halt all deportation proceedings for an estimated 100,000 undocumented Haitian immigrants in the US. "I screamed. I got on my knees. And I cried: Lord, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you," said one woman, a Haitian immigrant living in Takoma Park, MD.  "Nine years I have been waiting for this." The order allows undocumented Haitian immigrants to remain in the U.S. for another 18 months, and was advocated for by many immigrant-rights groups, including WNPJ member group Voces de la Frontera.

Immigrant-rights advocates are now asking people to call the White House (202-456-1111) to thank the President for this decision, and Amnesty International has set up an easy online form for this.