For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
From the Office of Councilmember Kristin Mink
ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 16, 2024—Fifty local, state, and federal elected officials across Maryland have signed a joint letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for relief for Haitian migrants. A virtual press conference with several signatories including Congressmen Glenn Ivey and David Trone will be held on Wednesday, January 17th at 12 p.m.
The letter, spearheaded by Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink, highlights the tangible impact federal immigration policy has on local communities and includes signatories from the Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Wicomico County Councils, Salisbury and Baltimore City Councils, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, County Executives Marc Elrich (Montgomery) and Angela Alsobrooks (Prince George’s), State Delegates and Senators from across Maryland, and Congressmen Glenn Ivey and David Trone.
The letter was also delivered to the White House during a January 12th meeting with Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. The meeting included Councilmember Mink; Meritha, a recently arrived Haitian resident of Mink’s district facing removal proceedings on January 17th just after the press conference; Guerline Jozef, founder and Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance; and Genevieve Augustin, Legal Director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN DC).
Haitian Nationals who entered the U.S. after November 2022 are not covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and many who entered after that date, including hundreds in Maryland, were immediately placed into removal proceedings despite entering legally. Meanwhile, the armed conflicts in Haiti that prompted the Biden Administration to re-designate Haiti for TPS have worsened. The U.S. Embassy was shut down in the summer of 2023, and the United Nations Security Council and member nations are poised to intervene in the country – an extreme and historic action.
These conversations take place as Senate Republicans attempt to leverage budget negotiations to effectively end the United States’ asylum program moving forward, a move which would leave local jurisdictions to deal with the myriad ripple effects.
PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS:
Several signatories of the Maryland letter and attendees of the White House meeting will join Councilmember Mink for a virtual press conference on Wednesday, January 17th, 2024 at 12 p.m.
SPEAKERS:
RSVP:
Speakers will take questions at the conclusion of the press conference.
Press may receive a link to join by emailing [email protected].
The press conference will also be streamed on Councilmember Mink’s Facebook page: Facebook.com/CouncilmemberMink.
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Release ID: 24-014