Washington D.C., Jan 15, 2010 / 15:31 pm
Cardinal Francis George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sent a letter to President Obama on Friday, urging him to designate Haiti a country of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
“It is clear that Haiti merits an immediate designation of TPS after suffering the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake of January 12, one of the worst in Haitian history,” the cardinal said on Friday.
Cardinal George explained that “a designation of TPS permits nationals of a designated nation living in the United States to reside here legally and qualify for work authorization and is based upon a determination that armed conflict, political unrest, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions exist in a nation and that the return of that country’s nationals would further destabilize the nation and potentially bring harm to those returned.”
“Mr. President,” the Chicago cardinal wrote, “by any measure, the conditions in Haiti meet the statutory requirements for TPS.”