News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Weds. Nov. 22, 2017: Some 60,000 Haitian immigrants were on Monday told to prepare to get out by July 22, 2019 or find a way to adjust their status in the US as the Donald Trump administration announced it was officially ending the Temporary Protected Status, (TPS), designation for Haiti.
But while many slammed the move and planned protests outside Mar-Lar-Go Tuesday, Haitians for Trump, a group of Haitian-Americans who supported the Republican candidate over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general elections, was thanking the President on Twitter.
“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the extension of #TPS for the Haitians. Make Haiti Great Again,” the group tweeted late Monday night, following the November 20th announcement by Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke.
Duke, in a statement said the “decision to terminate TPS for Haiti was made after a review of the conditions upon which the country’s original designation was based.”
She added that “based on all available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process” she has “determined that those extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake no longer exist.”
“Thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated,” the statement added.
The group, which states in its profile on Twitter that “President Donald J. Trump appreciates the Haitian-American community across America,” has since the election taken to retweeting Trump’s anti-Hillary Clinton rants on its page and tweets from Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway and even right wing controversial talk show host, Rush Limbaugh.
Haitians for Trump has been less active on its Facebook page. The group was founded in 2016 and says it is “a movement of Haitian-American citizens” who were committed to electing Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
HAITIANS TRENDING
By contrast, many took to Twitter to bash the administration’s decision with some seeing a racial tinge to the decision. By early Tuesday, “Haitians” was trending on the social media site with many like comedian Nick Pappas stating that the decision is such “… because Trump is running America like his apartment buildings in the 1970’s.”
Another tweeter, Rob, derided those Haitians who supported Trump over Clinton in 2016.
“Hmmm I seem to remember hearing some prominent #Haitians in 2016 deriding #Hillary for failed #Haiti policy. Now 60,000 Haitians need to go home. I am certain Hillary would have extended #TPS ..Just saying..” he tweeted Tuesday morning.
POLITICAL REACTION
Politicians from both sides of the aisle also weighed in. Senator Chuck Schumer called it “another heartless decision by the Trump Administration” while Florida Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said: “Their loss would be a tragedy for Miami.”
She urged her friends in Congress to “let’s pass law to stop family divisions.” This as Haitian-born Republican Congresswoman, Mia Love, took to twitter to insist that “#Haiti is not prepared to bring 60,000 people back to a nation still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.”
“I saw the conditions myself, and will continue working with my colleagues from across the aisle to extend #TPS protections,” she added.
Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who introduced a bill called “ASPIRETPS,” to forge a bi-partisan path forward to saving TPS for all recently shut out of the system, tweeted that “Deporting #Haitians in the US under #TPS in 18 months is the wrong decision. … It is cruel and unconscionable.”
Rep. Clarke, D-N.Y., has introduced the “Act to Sustain the Protection of Immigrant Residents Earned through TPS Act of 2017” legislation with Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
Clarke believes she has the bi-partisan support needed to push the bill through the House and into the Senate but it could be months before it becomes a reality or not and the clock is ticking for Haitians with TPS status who now have until July 22, 2019 to get out of the US or find a way to legally adjust their status.
RIGHT WING CELEBRATE
But the right wing celebration was swift on Twitter even as many on the left slapped back that those who call themselves ‘Christians” on the right should drop it from their bios.
“60,000 Haitians being deported is excellent news,” tweeted Groyper Keks Army. “America was not created to be a third world dumping ground. Here’s to 60,000 more third worlders getting sent back!”
Deplorable Rāzərbak added: “To The “60,000 Haitians” Losing Temporary Residence Permits… Now Might Be A Good Time To Ask Bill & Hillary Where The BILLIONS They Stole From You Is? #Haiti #ClintonFoundation” while Grant J. Kidney tweeted: “Liberals are mad that Trump is ending a program that provides housing to Haitians affected by an earthquake 7 years ago. If these people couldn’t get their acts together in 7 years time, what does this say of the government gravy-train that so many people like to milk and abuse?”
