Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, The Only Member of Congress of Haitian Descent Welcomes the Recission of Title 42 By the Biden Administration

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick released the following statement regarding the Biden Administration rescinding Title 42:

“I am pleased to announce that the Biden Administration has officially rescinded Title 42.  This Trump-era policy was a clear violation of U.S. asylum law and U.S. treaty obligations. Unfortunately, U.S. immigration officials have carried out over 1.7 million expulsions of migrants under Title 42 in the past two years. The next phase of our advocacy consists of five areas of priority:

1. Urge the Department of Homeland Security to allow migrants to lawfully engage in a credible fear interview to determine if there is a fear to return to their country of origin.

2. Urge the Administration to enforce provisions in the Immigration Naturalization Act (INA) to provide Humanitarian Parole to migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Haiti, and other countries at the U.S.-Mexico border.

3. Urge the Department of Homeland Security to invite families to apply for the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program.

4. Immediately suspend expulsion and repatriation flights to the Republic of Haiti due to the ongoing violence in the country.

5. Treat all migrants with dignity and in accordance with the rule of law at our borders and in detention centers across the U.S. It is my hope that our nation never witnesses what the world saw in Del Rio, Texas, - the whipping of Haitian asylum seekers.

“Many of these migrants are fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries and are merely seeking refuge. It is imperative that we commit to building our asylum system in a manner that does not disproportionately impact any demographics.

“I welcome the administration’s recent decision to allow up to 100,000 Ukrainian Refugees into our nation. And must continue to apply the same privileges to other migrants who are fleeing similar circumstances.  It is vital that we live up to the ideals of this nation by treating all migrants with dignity and in accordance with the rule of law.

“I want to also thank our elected officials, human rights groups, lawyers, and families of those impacted by Title 42 for their work commitment to creating a more perfect union. Most importantly, I thank organizations across South Florida and in FL-20 for their advocacy regarding this critical issue.”