cross-posted on Queens Village Times

By Ivan Pereira

Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:17 AM EDT

A Cambria Heights nonprofit dedicated to helping the neighborhood’s Haitian community received a major boost to expand its operations Tuesday.

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) joined other southeast Queens elected officials outside the Haitian Americans United for Progress offices at 221-05 Linden Blvd. to award the group a $250,000 capital allocation.

Elsie St. Louis Accilien, executive director of HAUP, said the money will be used to help fund the organization’s new, larger headquarters.

“Through its dedicated staff and critical services offered, HAUP improves the quality of life for over 15,000 members of the southeast Queens community on a yearly basis,” Smith said in a statement. “The funds I have secured for HAUP will allow them to continue the extraordinary work they do for the Haitian and immigrant communities in southeast Queens.”

HAUP, which has been in operation for more than 30 years, runs 18 free programs out of its office for Haitian families. Some of the programs include immigration and citizenship classes, after-school programs, job training and cultural events.

“Through the leadership of Elsie St. Louis Accilien … and her staff, this organization is a place where those who need support, guidance, encouragement and services are welcome,” state Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) said in a statement.

The group also sponsors programs that help immigrants lend a hand to their friends and family who are still living in Haiti. In the fall it helped to donate clothing and supplies to the nation after several hurricanes devastated many of its towns and villages.

The senator said HAUP’s offices had been in need of an expansion and renovations. Although the group raised $3 million for the proposed $3.5 million construction project, Accilien said they needed a lift to make the project a reality.

“I was losing faith that we weren’t going to get money for our new building, and then when we received word from Sen. Smith about the money, we were ecstatic,” she said.

HAUP will demolish its current offices and replace them with a new, two-story building with private meeting rooms, new offices, classrooms, a kitchen and a conference room, according to Smith. The design of the front of the building, scheduled to begin construction next year, will reflect Haitian culture with a drum shape design, the senator said.

Smith and his fellow electeds pledged to help the center during the construction to make sure that it can open with a reinvigorated spirit as well as a new home.

“It has been my privilege to work with HAUP on numerous projects assisting the immigrant community here and abroad, and I look forward to continue working with my colleagues in government to ensure that this project becomes a reality,” City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said in a statement.

Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.

Senator Malcolm Smith, President Pro-Tempore of NY State’s Senate presented the Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP) a grant of $250,000 to cover some of the soft costs of a new building that the community service organization plans to build in the near future. The grant nearly brings HAUP to the point where it will be able to break ground on the new facilities.  So far through staff efforts, HAUP has raised about $3.5 million in capital funding as follows:

1. $3 million from NY City through the good offices of Councilman Leroy Comrie;
2. $250,000 from the Queensborough President’s Office, Ellen Marshall;
3. $250,000 from NY State through the good offices of Senator Malcolm Smith; and
4. $50,000 from Assemblyman William Scarborough

HAUP hopes that Haitians in New York and elsewhere will pitch generously to raise the remaining $150,000 before the end of the year. To that end it will launch a vibrant campaign to provide them with the opportunity to contribute financially.

The event featured a who’s who of key elected officials in Queens and the Greater Cambria Heights area.  In addition to Senator Malcolm Smith, Queens borough President Ellen Marshall, NYC City Councilman Leroy Comrie, Nassau County Legislator John J. Ciotti, Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino came to show support and appreciation for HAUP which after 34 years of service continues to meet the needs and dreams of thousands. Several founding members came to celebrate this momentous event. Among them Marie Fouche, Monique Blanchard, Laurette Delaleu, Marcus Mordan, Rulx Rosefort, Pudens Devarieux.  Architects Nicole Hollant-Denis and Rodney Leon, and Construction Manager Rudolf J. Gedeon were also recognized for their involvement in designing what is sure to be a landmark building on Linden Boulevard .

The Committee heard testimony from 4 Haitian-Americans, among them Bishop Guy Sansaricq. Jocelyn McCalla testified on behalf of Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP). Following is the statement that was delivered at the hearing.

Statement of Haitian-Americans United for Progress

Hearing on Res. No. 1595

April 20, 2009

My name is Jocelyn McCalla and I want to begin by thanking the Committee on Immigration for extending an invitation to testify to Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP). Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an important measure that has long been denied Haitian nationals in the United States although they have clearly qualified since the measure was adopted by the US government. I will go more in depth on this matter but allow me to first say a few words about my organization, HAUP.

HAUP stands uniquely in the NY City area as the oldest community-based organization that emerged 34 years ago to help resettle and integrate Haitian asylum-seekers as well as advocate on their behalf. Amongst our founders, we proudly include Bishop Guy Sansaricq, a refugee from the Duvalier dictatorship which caused thousands of Haitians to immigrate to the United States and make New York City their home. We like to believe that it is thanks to the efforts deployed by HAUP and other Haitian CBOs and advocacy organizations that today many Haitian-Americans can be found at the helm of some of the leading private and public sector institutions that make NY such a great city.

HAUP is located in Cambria Heights which is home to the largest Haitian-American enclave outside of Brooklyn. While HAUP began as a volunteer-based organization focused initially on responding to the needs of Haitian immigrants and refugees, it has since expanded and offers its services to anyone who qualifies. We serve annually some 15,000 people. We are thankful to the City and the State of New York which fund many of our programs. We are most thankful for the strong support of Councilman Leroy Comrie and the good relations that we have had with many of the members of the Council, and in particular members of this Committee.

I have long been involved with promoting Haitians’ rights under US and international law. As the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) for almost 20 years, I have testified several times before Congress on issues of asylum, refugee rights and fairness. The NCHR led national campaigns that resulted in the adoption of the Cuban-Haitian Adjustment Act in 1986 (as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act) and the Haitian Refugee and Immigration Fairness Act in 1998. Together these Acts rendered about 90,000 Haitian immigrants and refugees eligible for legal permanent resident status.

In addition to campaigning on behalf of Haitian immigrants and refugees, I have taken up the cause of Haitians living in Haiti and elsewhere, promoting their human rights in US and international forums. I have served on the Boards of Directors of the New York Immigration Coalition, the National Immigration Forum, the Haitian Studies Association, and the Board of Advisers to Human Rights Watch/Americas. I have written several reports and monographs documenting human rights conditions in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and worked closely with US, United Nations and regional institutions to help shape policies that would benefit the people of Haiti. This said, I have had the opportunity to come before the NYC Council in the past to testify and I am pleased to do so again on behalf of HAUP.

HAUP Supports Res. No. 1595

Exactly a month ago on March 20, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order extending the temporary stay in the US of an estimated 3,500 Liberians for another 12 months. Liberians breathed a sigh of relief because their current stay of deportation would have expired on March 31st, 2009.

What distinguishes Haitians from Liberians? The circumstances that led to their seeking refuge in the United States are not different. Political upheaval, a shattered economy, a dysfunctional and feeble government, the presence of thousands of UN peacekeepers, these are the common ground that justify the presence of Haitians and Liberians on American soil.

The main argument against granting TPS to Haitians boils down to the fear that it will trigger a massive exodus from Haiti. We respectfully disagree and here is why:

1. With near-zero forest cover Haiti cannot provide for enough wood to build the boats that would support a “massive” exodus. It bears to remind ourselves that the last major influx of boat people to the United States occurred in 1980 when 125,000 Cuban refugees and about 18,000 Haitians made it to the shores of Florida. The Mariel exodus as the Cuban exodus was called was heavily facilitated by boats deployed from Florida to pick up the Cubans whom the Cuban government allowed to leave en masse at the time. That was almost 30 years ago.

2. US coast guard cutters have been patrolling the waters just outside of Haiti since September 1981 when President Ronald Reagan signed an executive order specifically targeting Haitian refugees. The Haitian Migrant Interdiction Operation authorized US coast guardsmen to intercept on the high seas any vessels flying the Haitian flag or carrying Haitians, and return its passengers to Haiti after a perfunctory interview that paid lip service to the prohibition against refoulement contained in the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.

3. The US does not plan on suspending Coast Guard interdiction: not now, not in the future. Interdiction remains a key component of US policy towards Haiti although it is carried out with little fanfare. It is effective: the Coast Guard catches most Haitian boat people before they are too far away from Haitian shores. In 1992 and 1994, during the period when a military junta ruled Haiti with an iron hand, the US Coast Guard intercepted more than 60,000 Haitian boat people. It coordinates its interdiction operations with the Bahamas which promptly repatriates Haitians who wash ashore or found floating at sea near their shores.

4. President Bill Clinton granted Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) to Haitian immigrants in the US. DED is a modified form of TPS. Granting DED did not lead to mass exodus from Haiti. Later, President Clinton supported the enactment of the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA), a measure that had the unanimous support of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and many other members from both parties. Enactment of HRIFA did not lead to mass exodus. In fact there has been no mass exodus from Haiti in the last 15 years!

There is Widespread Support for TPS for Haitians

Most of the major US Newspapers have argued that Haitians should be granted TPS. They include the NY Times, the NY Daily News, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Miami Herald among others. National groups, such as the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the NAACP, the National Immigration Forum and several state-wide immigration coalitions have affirmed or reaffirmed support for the temporary measure.

The Council of the City of NY would not be out of step with the mainstream of American thoughts by voting in favor of Res. 1595. In fact it would be an additional signal to the Obama Administration that the constituency for TPS for Haitians continues to grow and now enjoys the support of a city that is home to a significant segment of the Haitian Diaspora.

We see signs that the Administration is listening. Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton indicated during a visit to Haiti that the Administration was seriously considering reversing past policies and granting Haitians the well-deserved respite from fears of deportation. We urge the Council to put TPS for Haitians on a fast track by not wasting another minute in approving the sensible resolution that is before this Committee.

Let’s be clear however: the resolution supports a legislative remedy, but the White House has the power now to act. It does not need the force of legislation to do so. That power was given the Executive Branch long ago. President Obama should do the right thing by Haitians. The NYC Council should help him take that step promptly.

The City of New York Should Support TPS Implementation

Should TPS be granted – and we truly hope that it will be sooner rather than later – it is estimated that more than 30,000 Haitians would be eligible, many from New York City. TPS is temporary protection from deportation. It may be granted for no more than 18 months. At his discretion, the President can extend TPS as he has done in the case of the Liberians and as has been done for Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans and others.

There may be a limit placed on the registration period and there may not be sufficient information provided to eligible Haitians to educate them about the benefits, the eligibility criteria and most importantly the need to emerge out of the shadows to qualify.

We suggest that the Council of the City of New York consider providing monetary support to community-based organizations that, like HAUP, have the credibility and a long history of delivering quality services to Haitian immigrants and refugees.

It has long been held as a given that given its dependence on remittances from abroad, Haiti would benefit the most from TPS. Haiti will certainly benefit. We suggest however that municipalities like NY, which hosts a large number of TPS beneficiaries, benefit tremendously from having constituents who possess a legal work permit and can contribute to the revenues from taxation. Consequently it is in the best interests of the people of NY to ensure maximum Haitian participation in an eventual TPS program. We believe that the benefits to New York City outweigh the costs associated with TPS implementation.

In conclusion, we wish to commend the sponsors of Resolution 1595 for their vision and support for TPS for Haitians. Adoption of the resolution will send a strong signal to the Obama Administration and Congress that New York City, home to hundreds of thousands of Haitians, remains sensitive to the needs of its constituents and looks forward to the day when we can celebrate the granting of TPS to Haitians.

The scam is simple: it asks the intended victim to reconfirm that s/he is a non-immigrant, tells them that as such they are exempted from certain taxes, but warns them that if they do not reconfirm their status – via an official-looking form that requests all sorts of personal information – they might be subject to backup withholding taxes, etc… In other words, if you don’t act on this request promptly, you do so at your own peril.

The IRS has provided a copy of the scam letter and form that is being circulated. You can click on it here.

What should you do if you get such a notice? Please contact HAUP right away.

NY State Governor David Patterson delivered a State of the State address on January 7, 2008 in which he detailed proposals to deal with NY’s fiscal crisis, brought on by the year-long  recession, Wall Street’s virtual implosion and a looming depression. Of the measures proposed, slashing $2.6 billion in school funding appears to be the most hurtful to immigrant children and families.

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), which speaks for hundreds of immigrant organizations and advocates, including HAUP, issued a strong statement deploring the cuts as “unconscionable.”

We staunchly oppose Governor Paterson’s proposals to slash critical services and programs for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.  We are extremely disappointed that the only two immigrant-specific programs offered by the state—the NYS Refugee Assistance Program and the NYS Citizenship Initiative—are facing deep cuts of over 50 and 20 percent, respectively.  Funding for these programs was grossly inadequate to begin with.  These cuts mean that even fewer immigrants would find the help they need to resettle in the U.S., learn English, or become citizens. 

The governor’s proposed cuts of $2.6 billion in school funding would constitute the most drastic education cuts in the state’s history, and immigrant students would be particularly hit hard.  Given the already huge achievement gap between immigrant English language learners and other students (the ELL dropout rate is among the highest in the school system, with one in two dropping out of high school over seven years), these proposed cuts are unconscionable. 

HAUP, like many other community-based organizations that rely on state and city funding to deliver deeply needed services to the greater Cambria Heights community, has been preparing itself to thrive and grow despite the many obstacles that current economic situation has placed in its path. We are prepared to tighten our belt while delivering essential services. Cutting funds to schools that have long suffered from State underfunding could very well jeopardize economic recovery. Investment in education and essential services is a sine qua non for economic growth and social stability in our community. For the immigrant newcomer from the Caribbean, Haiti in particular, English-as-a-Second-Language classes are essential  to their rapid integration into American life and enhance their productivity.

We join others in urging the Governor to reconsider its budget proposals, and to do so in consultation with the constituencies that may be most affected by ill-advised and counterproductive measures.