Jacqueline Bishop reports on the state of affairs concerning deportations of Haitians by the United States. The article centers on U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson’s recent decision to “step up” deportations of undocumented Haitian migrants due to an influx along the U.S. border with Mexico. She writes:

Facing an influx of undocumented Haitian migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border with Mexico and a lack of jail space, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that it would step up deportations to Haiti in the coming weeks. [. . .] Earlier this month, U.S. immigration officials decided to release some Haitians arriving in California and Arizona because of a lack of beds in detention facilities. The number of available beds is between 31,000 and 34,000.

In the last several weeks, about 200 Haitians have been deported to Haiti. There are currently 41,000 individuals in immigration detention centers. About 4,400 are Haitian nationals.

The resumption of deportation flights will not affect Haitian nationals currently covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS). These individuals will remain eligible for employment authorization. TPS for Haitian nationals has been extended through July 22, 2017.

The Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., is encouraging family members seeking information on detained relatives to contact its hotline: 202-549-8712. [. . .]

[Photo above from a previous article “U.S. Resumes Haitian Removals Amid Surge At The Border” (22 September 2016) by Associated Press reporter Jean Guerrero; photo by Katie Schoolov; source: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/sep/22/official-says-40000-haitians-may-be-going-us/.]

For full article by J. Bishop, see http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article116755773.html#emlnl=The_Americas