Bill Text: NJ AR49 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Condemns President Trump for administration's decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status designation for Haitian nationals.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-08 - Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading [AR49 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR49-Introduced.html

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 49

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  JAMES J. KENNEDY

District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Condemns President Trump for administration's decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status designation for Haitian nationals.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Assembly Resolution condemning President Donald J. Trump for his administration's decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status designation for Haitian nationals.

 

Whereas, On January 12, 2010, the Republic of Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and was subsequently struck by aftershocks that measured as magnitude 5.9 and 5.5, respectively; and

Whereas, The government of the Republic of Haiti estimates that 300,000 people died as a result of the earthquake; and

Whereas, Economists estimate the total direct economic damage from the earthquake to be higher than that nation's entire gross domestic product, and may reach as high as $13.9 billion; and

Whereas, On January 21, 2010, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian nationals in the United States due to the conditions in Haiti; and

Whereas, Haiti has suffered additional loss of life and damage to essential infrastructure from Hurricanes Matthew and Irma in 2016 and 2017, respectively; and

Whereas, There are approximately 75,476 people of Haitian ancestry who reside in the State of New Jersey, who make significant contributions to the cultural and economic diversity of the State, and who have integrated Haitian TPS holders into their families and communities; and

Whereas, Approximately 3,400 Haitian nationals present in this State are TPS holders, and there are 1,100 children in New Jersey who were born in the United States to Haitian TPS holders; and

Whereas, TPS holders are net contributors to the United States and New Jersey economies, and federal law prohibits TPS holders from receiving most forms of federal and state public assistance; and

Whereas, The Haitian community in the United States also provides remittances to families and communities in Haiti that strengthen and support the Haitian economy as it continues to recover from devastating natural disasters, at no cost to United States taxpayers; and

Whereas, The Haitian community in the United States provided remittances to Haiti totaling $1.43 billion in 2016, equaling over 18 percent of Haiti's entire gross domestic product that year; and

Whereas, The money sent from the United States to the Haiti in 2016 totaled 60 percent of all remittances received in Haiti in that year; and

Whereas, At a conference of the United Nations and the Caribbean Community in New York, the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, pledged a mere $4.3 million, out of the total $2 billion pledged, to help rebuild Caribbean nations that were devastated by hurricanes in 2017; and

Whereas, At that same conference, Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, pledged $250,000 in a show of solidarity with the broader international community in its efforts to help rebuild Caribbean nations after natural disasters; and

Whereas, As a world and regional leader, the United States has a moral obligation to do more to help rebuild families and communities that were destroyed by natural disasters; and

Whereas, On November 20, 2017, Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke announced her decision to terminate the TPS designation for Haitian nationals despite the requests of the Haitian government to maintain Haiti's TPS designation; and

Whereas, It is in the economic interest and the foreign policy interest of the United States to allow Haitian TPS holders to remain in the United States so that they can continue to provide for their families and communities in Haiti and here in the United States, including those families with children born in the United States to Haitian TPS holders; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    The General Assembly condemns President Donald J. Trump for his administration's decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for nationals of the Caribbean nation of Haiti, who make innumerable contributions to their families and communities here in the United States and in the Republic of Haiti.

 

     2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and each member of Congress elected from this State.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution condemns President Donald J. Trump for his administration's decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for nationals of the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

     The Republic of Haiti is continuing its efforts to recover from multiple natural disasters that have impacted the country since 2010, and the country's government has requested that the United States maintain TPS for Haitian nationals.  There are approximately 3,400 Haitian nationals present in New Jersey under a TPS designation who contribute to their families and communities in New Jersey and in Haiti.  The families of those Haitian TPS holders include 1,100 children who were born in the United States. It is in the economic and foreign policy interests of the United States, to allow Haitian TPS holders to remain in the United States so that they can continue to provide for their families and communities in the Republic of Haiti and here in the United States.     

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