Visiting Haitians pursue way to stay

Arnold Polot, a Haitian national who's visiting relatives here, is eager to apply for the federal "temporary protected status" program so he can stay and work.

"His house in Haiti collapsed," Polot's cousin, Sam Frederic, said yesterday, translating from Creole. "His car, everything. And his job collapsed. He sold food, magazines. . . . He said he want to work so he can fix his house and his store."

Polot, 47, has been visiting relatives in Frankford since October, and was to return to Port-au-Prince on Jan. 16 - but the 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the capital four days earlier, killing an estimated 200,000 people.

Polot's wife, mother and younger brother are alive, but are sheltering and scrounging on the streets of Port-au-Prince. Frederic said that his cousin is looking for construction or other work.

In response to the quake, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Haitian nationals who were in the United States the day of the quake - Jan. 12 - can apply for temporary protected status (TPS), which will allow them to live and work here legally for 18 months.

This is the first time TPS is being granted to Haitian nationals.

Immigration attorneys and community advocates see this as beneficial, but say that some Haitian immigrants may be hesitant to let officials know they are here.

TPS also allows legal visitors to stay beyond the time their visas would have expired, up until the 18 months. And since the quake hit, orders of deportation to Haiti "have been halted until further notice," Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said.

Emmanuel Polection, president and chief executive officer of the Haitian Community Help Center of Philadelphia, said that he has been encouraging people to apply for TPS. "My sense is people are not afraid," he said. "The only thing, there is confusion."

People in the Haitian community, Polection said, wonder, " 'After 18 months, what's going to be next? Will I still be in hiding? Or if they know where I am, will they come get me?' I tell them, 'Hey, you have 18 months to save money, find a job. Who knows, something might change.' "

He said that looking at examples of other countries whose nationals have previously been granted TPS, it's possible that the U.S. government may later extend the TPS time period for Haitian nationals.

For Marie Pia Jean Louis, a single mother of two daughters, who lives in Mercer County, New Jersey, TPS is a breath of fresh air.

"I would like to work, I would like to be, I don't know how to say that, I would like to be free," she said.

Jean Louis, 41, said that she traveled to Florida from Haiti in 2004 to visit her brother and did not intend to overstay her visa, but her father called and told her that the political situation in Haiti had turned unstable. She then moved to this area, and has stayed since. She said that she applied for political asylum, but was denied.

Jean Louis has applied for TPS through her attorney, Thomas Griffin, of Morley, Surin & Griffin, in Philadelphia. Griffin, who just returned from Haiti, believes that it's "really important that everyone take advantage of" TPS.

Valentine Brown, an immigration lawyer at Duane Morris, said that "the big thing [about TPS] is they will be able to get work authorization. They can send remittances home to their family members."

She stressed that TPS will not allow new arrivals to the United States to seek refuge. "If a Haitian arrives by boat in Miami tomorrow, they're not eligible for TPS," she said.

Karen FitzGerald, district director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Philadelphia field office, said that officials can't guarantee what would happen to a person after the 18 months. Each person will return to the status he or she was in before TPS, FitzGerald said.

There is a six-month window to apply; the deadline is July 20. Anyone who poses a national security threat won't be eligible.

Applications and information can be obtained at: www.uscis.gov or 1-800-375-5283. Fees apply, but may be waived if there is a financial need.

People who get TPS may also be eligible for a driver's license in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Here are a few information sessions being held on TPS in Philly:

* Tomorrow, 4-6 p.m., Jerusalem French SDA Church, 537 E. Wyoming Ave., Feltonville. Rachelle Martinez, leader of the church's Inner City Ministries, said that adoption questions will also be addressed.

* Wednesday, 6-8 p.m., at Primitive International Ministry, 5034 Mulberry St., East Frankford. Organized by the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia.

* Wednesday, 7 p.m., First Haitian Church of God, 6219 Lancaster Ave., Overbrook.

HIAS and Council, the Nationalities Service Center, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians and the Haitian clergy are assisting in Wednesday's events.