The Miami Herald reported today that individuals ranging from church leaders to celebrities will gather in Miami for a rally to call on President Obama to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States. 

TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible nationals of a country designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as authorized by section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).  

During the period for which the DHS Secretary has designated a country for TPS, nationals of that country are eligible to remain in the United States and are eligible to obtain an employment authorization card.  Additionaly, TPS does not lead to permanent resident (green card) status.

When the DHS Secretary terminates a country’s TPS designation, those nationals will revert to the same immigration status they had prior to being granted TPS.

Immigration advocates estimate that about 30,000 undocumented Haitians would benefit from TPS designation.  Additionally, advocates argue that. 

“Haitians in the United States deserve TPS after a series of deadly storms battered the Caribbean country last year. Congress approved the designation in 1990 for foreign nationals fleeing civil war and natural disasters.”

Haiti continues to undergo political turmoil and coupled with natural disasters, appears to have a valid claim to lobby the administration to consider its request for TPS designation.