(ELMONT, N.Y.) – Nassau County Legislators Carrié Solages (D – Valley Stream) and Viviana L. Russell (D – Westbury) joined advocates at Legislator Solages’ law office on Monday, July 20 for a “Fight for Haiti TPS” phone bank.
Legislator Solages and Russell joined with advocates and government colleagues, including New York State Senator Siela A. Bynoe, in calling upon the U.S. Senate to approve Senate Bill 4814, which would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. The intensified push to secure TPS status for Haitian nationals follows a June 25 Supreme Court which cleared the way for the Trump administration to revoke TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians in America.
“It is simply unconscionable to consider the possibility that the United States would force hundreds of thousands of individuals back to a country that the State Department says is too dangerous for Americans to visit,” said Legislator Solages, who in 2012 became the Legislature’s first Haitian American member. “Yet, because of the Trump administration’s clear hatred and animosity toward the Haitian diaspora, it is a possibility that we must consider – and it is something we must all use our voices to stop from happening. I am proud to stand with colleagues from across the state in the fight to uphold America’s promise as a beacon of hope for the world.”
“New Cassel and its neighboring communities within District 2 are blessed with one of Nassau County’s most vibrant Haitian American communities, and we must do all we can to rise above every attempt to disrespect or disregard our Haitian brothers and sisters in a way that seeks to erase their immeasurable contributions to America dating back to the Revolutionary War,” Legislator Russell said. “I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Legislator Solages, Senator Bynoe, and advocates all across New York State in the fight to preserve TPS for hundreds of thousands of hard-working people who give so much to our nation.”
Legislators Solages and Russell will be continuing the phone banking at his law office from 1 – 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.
PHOTO CREDITS – Office of Legislator Carrié Solages