LTC 218-2008 Resolution Urging President Bush to Grant Protective Status to Haitians
2008 SEA - 2 PM 1 ~ 0 4
~ MIAMI BEACH 41-~~{~~~F~~~~5~~~1~~
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 21s-zoos LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the ity Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE: August 29, 2008
SUBJECT: Resolution Urging President Bush to Grant Temporary Protective
Status to Haitians in the United States.
At the June 25, 2008 City Commission Meeting Resolution # 2008-26825 was approved
Urging President Bush to Grant Temporary Protective Status to Haitians in the United States
(Resolution Attached).
Please see the attached letter from Vilia M. De Pirro, Director, Office of Carribbean Affairs,
United States Department of State.
JMG/RP/Ib
200 pUG 28 PM 5' 29
CITY CI.Er~t~'S Or F lC
United States Department of State
Washington, D. C. 20520
www. state. gov
Robert E. Parcher
City Clerk of Miami Beach
1700 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Dear Mr. Parcher:
August 19, 2008
Thank you for your June 271etter to President Bush forwarding
Miami Beach Resolution 2008-26825 regarding Temporary Protective Status
for Haitians in the United States. We have been asked to respond on the
President's behalf.
The Department of Homeland Security continues to review the matter
of Temporary Protective Status for Haitians. Please be assured of our
commitment to addressing Haiti's immediate humanitarian and security
needs and supporting the country's long-term development. We hope this
information is helpful in addressing your concerns. Please feel free to
contact us further on this or any matter.
Sincerely,
~~ ~ ~~~
Velia M. De Pirro
Director
Office of Caribbean Affairs
RESOLUTION NO. 2008-26825
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING PRESIDENT BUSH TO GRANT
TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE STATUS TO HAITIANS IN THE UNITED STATES;
DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION
TO THE OFFICIALS AS STATED HEREIN.
WHEREAS, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and has long
suffered through political instability, financial difficulties, violence, hurricanes and
earthquakes; and
WHEREAS, Haitian President Rene Preval has written to President Bush asking the
United States government to extend Temporary Protective Status ("TPS") to Haitians; and
WHEREAS, TPS suspends the deportation of undocumented Haitians already in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, TPS status also allows the granting of work permits and can last up to 18
months; and
WHEREAS, Haitian workers in the United States support relatives back home with
remittances to Haiti from the United States estimated to be more than $1 billion; and
WHEREAS, TPS would only apply to Haitians already in the United States and could
actually combat massive waves of migration by keeping working Haitians in this country so
they can continue to earn money to clothe, feed and house relatives in Haiti; and
WHEREAS, TPS has been granted to natives of several Central American and other
nations undergoing turmoil similar to Haiti's; and
WHEREAS, No city in America feels Haiti's pain as much as the Greater Miami area,
where our hardworking Haitian community has made a positive impact on our diverse city and
continues to support fellow countrymen in dire need in Haiti;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are
adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. The City of Miami Beach Commission urges President George W. Bush
and the members of the United States Congress to grant Temporary Protective Status to
Haitians in the United States.
Section 3. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a copy of the Resolution to the
President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to the Senators and Representatives
from Florida in the Congress of the United States and to the thirty five municipalities that
comprise the Miami-Dade League of Cities.
Section 4. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and
signature of the Mayor.
PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 25th day of June , 2008
ATTEST:
~tA, ~~~~
Robert Parcher
CITY CLERK
Ma ti Herrera Bower
MAYOR
APPROVED AS TO
FORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION
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Attorney D