"Ede Ayiti!"

By now the world has learned of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti and its wicked toll on the lives of thousands. It is the strongest earthquake in more than 200 years according to the Associated Press, and Port-au-Prince is described as "total disaster and chaos." Haiti is a land of brave men and women who have endured extreme political violence and natural disasters throughout their history. Only five years ago, the nation suffered the impact of Tropical Storm Jeanne, which caused massive flooding and killed over 3000 people. While Haiti was the first of the European colonies in America to proudly obtain its independence on January 1, 1804, and the first republic established by former black African slaves, it is today the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Note: The title to this post is "Help Haiti" in Creole. I chose the title because there is a beautiful work, designed in 1937 for a French anti-Fascist pamphlet by the Catalan artist Joan Miro, called "Aidez Espagne." The piece is a call, in French, to help the Spanish Republic during Spain's brutal civil war. Beneath the image, it is handwritten, "...immense creative resources will provide Spain a burst that will astonish the world." A postcard of Miro's "Aidez Espagne" has hung on my wall for many, many years.

In the U.S. there are large Haitian communities in New York, Miami, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia. A 1998 law allowed qualifying Haitians to obtain a "green card" if they had applied for asylum and been present in the United States as of December 31, 1995. During the lifespan of that legal provision, approximately 15,500 gained permanent residence. However, with the exception of the aforementioned law, Haitian migrants to this country have not fared well, especially compared to their Cuban neighbors.

Regularly, Haitians attempt to make the dangerous voyage to Miami on rickety boats which are intercepted by the Coast Guard and immigration authorities. In September 1981, the Reagan administration entered an agreement with Haiti to interdict Haitian boats and return prospective immigrants to their homeland. Those who make it to our shores, like other migrants, have very limited means to gain legal residence and must live underground. Many apply for asylum in an attempt to gain protection from return to Haiti because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution, though only 17% were granted asylum between 2001-2006 (by comparison China and Colombia also have high asylum application rates, yet 50% of Chinese are granted asylum and 34% of Colombians. Some Haitians come to the U.S. with special temporary visas to cut cane in Florida's sugar industry, or pick crops in other parts of the country.

In contrast, Cubans who set foot on U.S. soil are permitted to enter the country, obtain a work permit, and may apply for permanent residence one year later, regardless of whether they have a genuine fear of persecution in Cuba. Even the attempt by Haitians to obtain "temporary protected status" (TPS) in the past has been met with resistance by the U.S. Government. TPS is a measure which allows citizens of designated countries to remain in the U.S. for a limited time while their nation suffers the severe consequences of a natural disaster, widespread political turmoil or war. Over the decades Somalia, Liberia, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Sudan, for example, have been designated for TPS status and their nationals protected from deportation and granted employment authorization during their stay.

Despite the repeated political and environmental disasters in Haiti, Haitians have never enjoyed this benefit. The Government generally cites the fear of a mass exodus of Haitians as the ground for denying TPS to them. In a troubling precedential decision issued in 2003 by former U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft, Haitians were deemed a "national security threat" in order to justify their detention in the U.S. when arrested by U.S. immigration officials. The Attorney General went so far as to reason that the allegedly massive migration of Haitians by sea diverted required resources necessary to combat terrorism.

In light of the devastation and human suffering caused by Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti, I turn to my friend Nicole Lee, currently on maternity leave as the President of TransAfrica Forum in Washington, DC. Nicole lived and worked in Haiti for several years. What can we do to help Haitians? Nicole posted this message on her Facebook page yesterday: "Call your Senator and Representative and demand that the U.S. send emergency personnel, equipment and aid immediately. Also, tell them to grant Haitians Temporary Protected Status. Support charities doing proven sustainable work like Partners in Health,
(For updated information on Haiti, click here)