Hastings Backs TPS for Haitian Nationals Affected by Hurricane Matthew

When Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the sunshine state, lawmakers rushed to ensure that Florida had the resources to rebuild. In turn, many are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Matthew, but an effort is being made to help those that were heavily affected.

Democrat Congressman Alcee Hastings, the vice chairman of the U.S. House Rules Committee and the dean of the Florida delegation, introduced a resolution titled the “supporting Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals residing in the United States at the time Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti.”

The resolution was delivered to the Judiciary and U.S. Foreign Affairs Committees at the end of last week, and Congressman Hastings shared his thoughts on the benefits that his resolution will have on Haitian nations in the United States.

Unveiling the resolution, Hastings explained that “Hurricane Matthew was the worst hurricane to hit Haiti in 50 years, taking the lives of over 1,000 people, leading to the internal displacement of 175,000 Haitians, and leaving 1.4 million in need of urgent humanitarian aid. Any decision regarding whether TPS out to be extended or granted must take Hurricane Matthew into consideration.”

Congressman Hastings also added that “the people of Haiti have faced several natural disasters over the years including the 2010 earthquake, the subsequent Cholera outbreak, and most recently Hurricane Matthew. As Haiti continues to work diligently to address these and other important issues, including creating strong democratic institutions, we must do all that we can to help Haiti rebuild. I, therefore encourage all my colleagues to join me in letting the people of Haiti and its diaspora know that we stand with them.”

Original cosponsors of the resolution include other Democrat members of Congress like Florida’s freshman Congresswoman Donna Shalala, Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, and Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.