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US grants humanitarian parole to Haiti orphans

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that the US will allow Haitian orphans into the country to receive needed care in the aftermath of last week's earthquake. The humanitarian parole policy, which grants individuals temporary admission to the US in emergency cases, will apply to certain groups of Haitian orphans, including those in the process of being adopted by Americans. US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano described the policy: We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time. While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti, authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are eligible for adoption in the United States will allow them to receive the care they need here.DHS is working with the State Department to issue immigrant visas and other documents on an individual basis to children who qualify. Groups of Haitian children are expected to arrive in the US as early as Tuesday.Last week, DHS also granted Temporary Protected Status to Haitian nationals already present in the US when the earthquake hit and allowed them to continue living and working in the US for the next 18 months regardless of their immigration status. On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused massive damage to property and infrastructure in Haiti. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti has said that up to 50 percent of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including the presidential palace, the UN Mission headquarters, and the main prison, allowing nearly 4,000 inmates to escape. Thousand of US military troops have been deployed to assist the Haitian police and international peacekeepers as they confront rising lawlessness in the country. Haitian government officials estimate the death toll to be as high as 100,000 to 200,000.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 19, 2010 (boomark / email).