LTC 266-2017 City of South Miami Resolution No. 095-17-14896MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
NO. 266-2017
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of the Cit f Commission
FROM: Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk
DATE: May 19, 2017
SUBJECT: CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI RESOLUTION
Attached for your information is Resolution No. 095-17-14896, adopted by the Mayor
and Commission of the City of South Miami on May 16, 2017.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI CALLING UPON
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO RENEW THE TEMPORARY
PROTECTIVE STATUS (TPS) OF 50,000 HAITIAN NATIONALS
WHO ARE TPS HOLDERS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES.
The City of South Miami Clerk has requested that a copy of this resolution be provided to the
Miami Beach Mayor and Commissioners.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at 305.673.7411.
REG/Ic
Attachment
F:\CLER\$ALL\CILIA\LTC's - Transmittal's\Resolution 095-17-14896 City of South Miami.docx
RESOLUTION NO. 095-1 7-1 4896
A Resolution of the City of South Miami calling upon the federal government to renew
the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) of 50,000 Haitian nationals who are TPS holders
living in the United States.
WHEREAS, a Resolution of the City of South Miami to call on the federal government to
renew the Temporary Protective Status of 50,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States until it is
safe for them to return home; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has the authority under Section 244 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 USC 1254a) to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian nationals
residing in the United States; and
WHEREAS, TPS was created in 1990 by the United States as a form of humanitarian relief to
nationals of certain countries that have become embroiled in violent conflict or suffered a natural
disaster; and
WREREAS, Haiti has suffered horrific devastation from multiple natural disasters, including
four tropical storms in 2008, the horrific 2010 earthquake, and Hurricane Matthew in 2016; and
WHEREAS, in October, 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti causing catastrophic damage
including thousands dead, tens of thousands of homes destroyed and hundreds of thousands in need of
assistance; and
WIIEREAS, AS, in January, 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that affected 3
million people; and
WHEREAS, Haiti has a severely damaged infrastructure from the 2010 earthquake that the
government is still in the process of rebuilding; and
WHEREAS, Haiti is coping with an unprecedented outbreak of cholera and other public health
crises; and
WHEREAS, in March 2017, the entire South Florida Congressional delegation membership
including U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings,
U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, U.S. Representative
Frederica Wilson, U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo, and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman
Schultz signed a letter to the Trump Administration requesting an extension of TPS designation for
Haiti; and
WHEREAS, Haiti has gone through tremendous political unrest and is working to stabilize
government institutions; and
WHEREAS, an Immigrant Legal Resource Center study found the economy would lose over
10 years one billion dollars in Social Security and Medicare funding, see a seven billion dollar
reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and over 150 million dollars in employee turnover cost if
TPS is revoked for Haitian nationals; and
Page 1 of 2
Res. No. 095-17-14896
WHEREAS, an Immigrant Legal Resource Center study found that 40% of Haitian TPS
holders live in south Florida; and
WHEREAS, a Center for American Progress study found that the cost for deporting Haitian
TPS holders was over 500 million dollars and that the cost to taxpayers is more money to deport these
low priority immigrants than it would to renew their TPS designation; and
WHEREAS, during the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump went to Little
Haiti in south Florida and told the community, "I really want to be your biggest champion"; and
WHEREAS, mass deportation of Haitian nationals from the United States to Haiti will further
destabilize the country and put additional strain on the country's ongoing economic challenges.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COIbIMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA THAT:
Section 1. The City of South Miami calls upon the federal government to renew the
Temporary Protective Status (TPS) of 50,000 Haitian nationals who are TPS holders living in the
United States.
Section 2. The Clerk is instructed to share this resolution with all 13 Miami -Dade County
commissioners and all municipalities in Miami -Dade. A copy of the resolution should be provided to
the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Section 3. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for any
reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall not affect
the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 4. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 166 thday of May , 2017.
READ AND AP!Lf OVED AS TO
�- EiGALITY
LANGU
THEREOF
Page 2 of 2
APPROVED:
l
Y R
COMMISSION VOTE: 5-0
Mayor Stoddard: Yea
Vice Mayor Welsh: Yea
Commissioner Harris: Yea
Commissioner Edmond: yea
Commissioner Liebman: Yea