_add-on a)Add-on Item a)
Sponsored by: Commissioner Edmond
City Commission Meeting: 05-16-17
Page 1 of 2
RESOLUTION NO. _________________ 1
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A Resolution of the City of South Miami calling upon the federal government to renew 3
the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) of 50,000 Haitian nationals who are TPS holders 4
living in the United States. 5
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WHEREAS, a Resolution of the City of South Miami to call on the federal government to 8
renew the Temporary Protective Status of 50,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States until it is 9
safe for them to return home; and 10
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WHEREAS, the federal government has the authority under Section 244 of the Immigration 12
and Nationality Act (8 USC 1254a) to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian nationals 13
residing in the United States; and 14
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WHEREAS, TPS was created in 1990 by the United States as a form of humanitarian relief to 16
nationals of certain countries that have become embroiled in violent conflict or suffered a natural 17
disaster; and 18
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WHEREAS, Haiti has suffered horrific devastation from multiple natural disasters, including 20
four tropical storms in 2008, the horrific 2010 earthquake, and Hurricane Matthew in 2016; and 21
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WHEREAS, in October, 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti causing catastrophic damage 23
including thousands dead, tens of thousands of homes destroyed and hundreds of thousands in need of 24
assistance; and 25
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WHEREAS, in January, 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that affected 3 27
million people; and 28
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WHEREAS, Haiti has a severely damaged infrastructure from the 2010 earthquake that the 30
government is still in the process of rebuilding; and 31
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WHEREAS, Haiti is coping with an unprecedented outbreak of cholera and other public health 33
crises; and 34
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WHEREAS, in March 2017, the entire South Florida Congressional delegation membership 36
including U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings, 37
U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, U.S. Representative 38
Frederica Wilson, U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo, and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman 39
Schultz signed a letter to the Trump Administration requesting an extension of TPS designation for 40
Haiti; and 41
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WHEREAS, Haiti has gone through tremendous political unrest and is working to stabilize 43
government institutions; and 44
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WHEREAS, an Immigrant Legal Resource Center study found the economy would lose over 46
10 years one billion dollars in Social Security and Medicare funding, see a seven billion dollar 47
Add-on Item a)
Sponsored by: Commissioner Edmond
City Commission Meeting: 05-16-17
Page 2 of 2
reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and over 150 million dollars in employee turnover cost if 1
TPS is revoked for Haitian nationals; and 2
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WHEREAS, an Immigrant Legal Resource Center study found that 40% of Haitian TPS 4
holders live in south Florida; and 5
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WHEREAS, a Center for American Progress study found that the cost for deporting Haitian 7
TPS holders was over 500 million dollars and that the cost to taxpayers is more money to deport these 8
low priority immigrants than it would to renew their TPS designation; and 9
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WHEREAS, during the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump went to Little 11
Haiti in south Florida and told the community, "I really want to be your biggest champion"; and 12
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WHEREAS, mass deportation of Haitian nationals from the United States to Haiti will further 14
destabilize the country and put additional strain on the country's ongoing economic challenges. 15
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY 17
COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA THAT: 18
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Section 1
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. The City of South Miami calls upon the federal government to renew the 20
Temporary Protective Status (TPS) of 50,000 Haitian nationals who are TPS holders living in the 21
United States. 22
Section 2
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. The Clerk is instructed to share this resolution with all 13 Miami-Dade County 24
commissioners and all municipalities in Miami-Dade. A copy of the resolution should be provided to 25
the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. 26
Section 3
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. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for any 28
reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall not affect 29
the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. 30
Section 4
33 . Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption. 32
PASSED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of _____________, 2017. 34
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ATTEST: APPROVED: 36
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_____________________ ______________________ 38
CITY CLERK MAYOR 39
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READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM, COMMISSION VOTE: 41
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND Mayor Stoddard: 42
EXECUTION THEREOF Vice Mayor Welsh: 43
Commissioner Harris: 44
_____________________________ Commissioner Edmond: 45
CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Liebman: 46
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