Congresswoman Sheila Sends Letter to President Biden Requesting the End of Title 42 and the End of Deportations to Haiti

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the first Haitian American Democrat elected to office, called on the Biden Administration to end Title 42 expulsions and cease deporting people to Haiti and grant them the legal right to seek asylum. The Congress woman released the following statement:

“Recently the Biden Administration’s recent suspended deportation flights to Ukraine in recognition of the humanitarian crisis there. As you may know this comes as the Administration hits the grim milestone of expelling over 20,000 Haitians under the Title 42 policy with the residents of Haiti still experiencing instability and political violence on the island.

“As I stated in my letter, as members of Congress, we are committed to strengthening bilateral and trade relations with the Republic of Haiti, the second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere. However, we are deeply concerned regarding the ongoing political crisis in the country. Therefore, we write to urge your administration to allow the people of Haiti to determine their political destiny by supporting consensus among political actors, civil society, religious and private sectors to create a civil society-led democratic transition.

“Lastly, it is in my opinion that the Biden administration allow the people of Haiti to determine their own political destiny and withdraw support from the de facto government; assist actors working to investigate the assassination and to address insecurity and other institutional challenges; and support free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Haiti only after security and political conditions allow, as determined by the Haitian people. Policies coming out of Washington must be consistent with the will of the Haitian people, democratic ideals, and the rule of law.”