Lawyers Assist Haitians in Deportation Cases
Attorneys in Nassau County, NY, are educating the local Haitian community on ways to avoid deportation. At a program at their Mineola headquarters, the Nassau County Bar Association informed Haitians about the Temporary Protective Status program, a government-run initiative that allows immigrants to stay in the U.S.
According to an article in Nassau County Network, the function of the program is to allow immigrants living in the U.S. to send money to their families in Haiti to help them rebuild after a devastating earthquake crushed that island nation last month. TPS allows all Haitian immigrants, including those not legally in the country, to remain in the U.S. for at least the next 18 months, giving them more time to get a green card. The U.S. offers about 50,000 green cards each year, which allow immigrants to live and work legally. The Haitian population is about 130,000 people in the state of New York. However, thousands reside in the state illegally, making the real number considerably higher.
The NCBA’s program faced some barriers with the Haitian immigrants, including fear and suspicion that any immigration-related event would lead to deportation. A member of the Haitian community helped explain to fellow Haitians that the NCBA program was there to help. Additionally, the information was offered in both English and Creole to ensure language was not a barrier to understanding.
The cutoff date for Haitian immigrants to file the paperwork for TPS is July 20. Past TPS programs to assist immigrants from other nations, such as Honduras and El Salvador, lasted for as long as ten years, so the program will likely last longer than 18 months. Anyone applying for the program should be weary of attorneys who charge high fees to assist with the paperwork, as reasonably priced services are available. The seminar also offered free legal counsel to Haitians seeking such services.
Michael Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm... Michael Monheit→