Target: President Barack Obama
Goal: Applaud decision not to deport undocumented people to Haiti.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security resumed deporting people to Haiti in September, stating that the situation in the country had ‘improved sufficiently.’ This decision came despite the fat that the country had not yet fully recovered from the 2010 earthquake, with over 60,000 people internally displaced. Furthermore, the country was suffering from a persistent cholera epidemic. In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, a storm that has killed over 1,000 people in Haiti, many people feared that the government would continue to deport people to Haiti.
However, thanks to political pressure from activists and petitions such as this Force Change petition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced it will temporarily cease deportations to Haiti due to Hurricane Matthew. This represents a victory for the rights of migrants and refugees, and could well save hundreds of lives. Sign our petition and applaud this decision.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. President,
I was pleased to hear of the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to halt deportations of undocumented people and migrants to Haiti. I believe that the devastation wrought by Hurricane Matthew would have made said deportations a violation of U.S. commitments to the rights of migrants and refugees.
However, moving forward I believe it is important to reexamine how the Department of Homeland Security evaluates safety in a country. The September decision to declare Haiti ‘sufficiently improved’ when, at the time, 60,000 people remained internally displaced and the country was dealing with a cholera epidemic seems to fly in the face of reason.
Furthermore, given the link between this unprecedented storm and global climate change, I believe there is a need for a regional strategy to protect people fleeing regions that will be rendered uninhabitable by climate change.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: hector retamal
347 Signatures