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My Special Child

On the morning of April 7th, 2006 a 45 foot cabin cruiser landed in South Florida with 45 Haitians, 1 Jamaican and 1 Cuban. After a short detention the Cuban was set free to begin a new life in the United States while the Haitians were rounded up, interviewed and sent back to Haiti.

 

Because of the “wet-foot, dry-foot Policy” a Cuban caught on the waters between the two nations, "wet feet", would summarily be sent home or to a third country. One who makes it to shore, "dry feet", gets to stay in the United States, and later would qualify for U.S. citizenship.

 

Temporary Protected Status also known as TPS is provided to aliens temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, the temporary effects of an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Right now the United States recognizes Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia and the Sudan under TPS. Haitians are presently requesting to qualify for TPS since their home country clearly qualifies under the description of TPS.

 

Haitians took to the streets of Little Haiti in Miami on Saturday April 22nd 2006 and marched to the INS building on Biscayne Boulevard and NW 79th Street in protest of their country men being sent back to Haiti, to show light on the discrepancy between Cuban aliens and Haitians reaching the shores of United States, and to bring attention to the fact that under TPS rules Haitians would clearly quality for Temporary Protected Status. Although the crowd started off small it grew very large as the march reached the INS building.

 

 

 

 

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Uploaded on May 3, 2006
Taken on April 22, 2006