On August 16, 2023, Boston-based Haitian-Americans United, Inc (HAU), represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), filed an amicus curiae brief in federal court in support of the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program for citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The PAROLE Program, which was conceived with the aim of ending the migration crisis caused by the influx of refugees attempting to enter the United States illegally after fleeing their countries beset by serious social, political and economic problems, has been challenged in court by several states run by Republican elected officials, including Texas.
Except last-minute changes, Federal Judge Drew B. Tipton of the Southern District of Texas is expected to rule this week on the legality of the migration program commonly referred to as “humanitarian parole”.
Appointed by former President Donald Trump, conservative Judge Drew Tipton is renowned for his anti-immigrant rulings. His deliberation could mark the end of the migration program that had previously allowed several thousand Haitians and nationals of other countries to be admitted to the United States.
“Closing the parole program would not only jeopardize the safety of thousands of individuals and families fleeing violence and unrest in their home countries, it would also harm the U.S. economy, Haitian-Americans United, Inc. argued in its brief filed with the federal court.
HAU president Reverend Dieufort Fleurissant said his association works tirelessly to support the Haitian community in Boston and beyond, including providing essential services and community support to those who have just arrived in the U.S. after fleeing life-or-death conditions.
“We know first-hand the positive impact these new immigrants have on the local community after their arrival,” said Reverend Fleurissaint.
The state of Massachusetts is home to more than 80,000 Haitians and Haitian-Americans, and dozens of new Haitian immigrants arrive every day. According to the association, immigrants allowed to enter the U.S. through the parole program are eligible for work authorization, which strengthens the workforce and is a significant benefit to the U.S. economy.
“Immigrants are helping to fill an important gap in the workforce, often working in crucial sectors such as healthcare, where they played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they continue to risk their own health and well-being to provide for others – without immigrants, we all suffer,” said Michael Kippins, Litigation Fellow at CRL.
Haitian-Americans United, Inc argues that continuing this humanitarian parole program “will save lives, stimulate the economy and allow immigrants to enter the U.S. in an orderly fashion to be reunited with their families, which will have a net positive impact on the country. She notes that in 2017, in Boston alone, the Haitian community earned more than $500 million in income, had consumer demand that supported more than 1,500 jobs, and contributed more than $250 million to the City of Boston’s gross product, more than $25 million in state income taxes, and more than $8 million in state sales taxes. These benefits to the economy cannot be overstated,” says the Amicus Curiae brief.