Six human right groups in Miami and Washington have filed an emergency petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to halt the deportation of Haitians by the United States.
The petition submitted by the University Of Miami School Of Law, Human Rights and Immigration Clinics, the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Alternative Chance and the Loyola Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice argues that deporting people at this moment to Haiti will result in serious human rights violations.
"The U.S. government is violating human rights obligations," said Caroline Bettinger-Lopez, director of the Human Rights Clinic at the University Of Miami School Of Law.
"These deportations will compound a catastrophic public health and humanitarian crisis in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere," she said.
It is simply unconscionable to resume deportations to Haiti on the one year anniversary of one of the most devastating natural disasters in world history, especially since a cholera epidemic rages across the country," Bettinger-Lopez said.
The petition asks the IACHR to order the United States to accept precautionary measures to prevent "irreparable harm" to the Haitians subject to imminent deportation.
Specifically, it asks the United States to continue its stay of deportations, release the petitioners and grant "deferred action" status to all people facing removal.
This month, the Obama administration said it was resuming the deportation of Haitians who have finished serving time for violent crime.
It also said it is becoming stricter on granting Haitians humanitarian parole, which is used sparingly to bring in temporarily someone otherwise inadmissible to the United States due to a compelling emergency.
Last week, the administration reminded Haitian nationals in the United States that the registration deadline for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is January 18.
"Haitian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since January 12, 2010, and who meet other TPS eligibility requirements, must file their applications for TPS no later than January 18, 2011," said the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
"The TPS designation for Haiti will remain in effect through July 22, 2011," it added.
"USCIS advises Haitian nationals to review their TPS application packages carefully," it continued.
In July last year, the USCIS had announced that it would give Haitian nationals another six months to apply for TPS. The initial deadline for applications was July 2010.
In a move supported by both Democrats and Republicans, the Obama administration, shortly after the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, extended special protection to about 100,000 Haitians living illegally in the United States that keeps them from being deported.
At the time, the Department of Homeland Security said it would offer Haitian nationals TPS for 18 months.
That status, which allows undocumented Haitians to legally work, does not cover Haitians who flee their country following the devastating 7.0 quake that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths and left 1.5 million people homeless.
The United States had typically extended TPS to immigrants from countries – such as El Salvador, Honduras, Somalia, and Nicaragua – where sudden conflict or disaster has prevented them from returning safely.
