Mission Direct Haiti Worries About Haitian Residency Program Ending

President Donald Trump’s administration is ending a temporary residency permit program for Haitians living in the United States. Since the catastrophic earthquake of 2010, over 50,000 Haiti citizens have been living and working in the U.S. With only one more extension granted, the immigrants will need to return home by July 2019.

An Oklahoma organization called Mission Direct Haiti is against this program ending.

“It’s going to be devastating,” said Tijuania Hudson. She is the founder of the non-profit. Since 2014, she and her volunteers have visited Haiti about ten times a year.

Hudson said Haiti is nowhere near ready to take in tens of thousands of people. She refers to the Haitians living in America.

Hudson said, “They have an opportunity to send money back to their families. When they deport them back to Haiti, they have nothing.”

While many organizations are working to rebuild the country, Hudson said hardly a dent has been made.

“It looks like to me that an earthquake just hit.” She is hoping the government see the continued need for those in Haiti.

Regardless of the outcome, Hudson said Mission Direct Haiti will continue to go to Haiti and help rebuild.