FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION

A statewide network of organizations working together for fair treatment of immigrants in Florida

February 12, 2009

President Barack Obama

The White House

**** *******vania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Fax: 202-***-****

abqa34@r.postjobfree.com

Re: The Administration Should Urgently Stay Deportations to Haiti

8325 NE 2nd Avenue

Suite 206

Dear President Obama,

Miami, Florida 33138

Phone: 305-***-****

Fax: 305-***-****

First, congratulations on your new job. Immigrant communities look forward to working with

abqa34@r.postjobfree.com

your administration. Certainly you have many pressing priorities. We are compelled, however,

to bring to your attention a life or death matter: Haitian deportees face hunger, homelessness

Board of Directors: and unemployment, if not worse, in the wake of four killer storms that further devastated our

hemisphere s poorest nation. We urge you to immediately stay deportations to Haiti pending

President

review of U.S. immigration policy toward Haitians.

Marleine Bastien

Haitian Women of Miami

To continue these deportations is inhumane and, we believe, contrary to your administration s

Secretary

values of fairness, transparency and respect for human rights. Please consider:

Martha Zayas

Voices for Justice

The former administration stayed deportations to Haiti in September only to resume them

abruptly in December without notice or reasonable explanation. This was a last-minute

Irma Cabriales

Latin American Coalition, Department of Homeland Security policy reversal. It should not stand.

Fort Pierce

Conditions in Haiti remain abysmal. The storms destroyed 15 percent of its GDP that s

Yolanda Gomez

Farmworkers Association

like 8 to 10 Hurricane Katrinas hitting the U.S. in one month. Yesterday the State

of Florida

Department renewed warnings not to travel to Haiti due to the destructive impact of the

storms.

Felipe Matos

Students Working for Equal Rights

(S.W.E.R.)

Staying the deportations is in the U.S. interest. Sending more people in need of food and

shelter will further burden the Haitian government, which already is overwhelmed by the

Paola Villarreal

magnitude of the natural disaster. Deportees only delay recovery efforts. Meanwhile,

El Sueno Americano

Haitians who remain here would continue to send remittances, encouraging relatives to

Kathy Bird

stay in Haiti and help rebuild their country.

SEIU-SEIU 32BJ Florida

Grey Caceros

These deportations tear apart families, hurting U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

CHISPAS

Vialine Jean Paul, 34, married a U.S. citizen. Their 7-year-old, U.S-born daughter is being

treated for a chronic viral infection. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Ms. Jean

Andrea Ortiz

Manasota Human Rights Coalition Paul to buy plane tickets for her deportation to Haiti before February 10. Her dilemma:

Should she put her daughter at risk of malaria, hepatitis, cholera, malnutrition and

Bob Louis Jeune

uncertain medical care in Haiti or leave her seriously ill daughter behind?

HCUT

Charu Al-Sahli

Across America, many of us wish our government to stand with the Haitian people. Haiti still

FIAC

needs U.S. assistance. Please help by immediately staying deportations to Haiti and undoing

the last administration s late-term policy reversal. It is the fair and decent course of action.

Sincerely,

Marleine Bastien Cheryl Little Maria Rodriguez

Executive Director Executive Director Executive Director

Fanm Ayisyen Nan Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center Florida Immigrant Coalition

Miyami/Haitian

Women of Miami

Randolph P. McGrorty Winnie Cantave Jean-Robert Lafortune

Chief Executive Officer Co-Executive Director Chairman

Catholic Charities Legal UNITE for Dignity Haitian-American Grassroots

Services Coalition

Martha Zayas Tirso Moreno Irma Cabriales

Voices for Justice General Coordinator Director

Palm Bay, FL The Farmworker Association of Latin American Coalition of the

Florida Treasure Coast

Paola Villareal Fr. Reginald Jean-Mary Preval Floreal

Executive Director Notre Dame d'Haiti Mission Grace Haitian United Methodist

Sue o Americano Church

Lucio Perez-Reynoso

Reginale Durandisse Bob Louis Jeune Miami Area Program Director

Founder & CEO Executive Director American Friends Service

For The Children, Inc. Haitian Citizens United Taskforce Committee

Inc.

Ophelia Dahl Elizabeth Badger J. Willie David, III

Executive Director Refugee Project Director President

Partners In Health World Organization for Human Florida Civil Rights Association

Rights

Eric Brakken Joan Friedland Aileen Josephs, Esq.

District Director Immigration Policy Director Honorary Consul of Guatemala,

SEIU 32BJ Florida National Immigration Law Center West Palm Beach

Sophie Brion Susan H. Colussy, Attorney at Law Kathryn M. Doan

Women's Advocacy Project Program Director, Immigration Executive Director

Director Services Capital Area Immigrants Rights

Women's Fund of Miami-Dade Catholic Charities of the Coalition (CAIR)

Archdiocese of Atlanta

Linda Osberg-Braun Teresa Gutierrez Tim Jeffries

President, American Coordinator Coordinator

May 1st Coalition for Worker and

Immigration Lawyers Bend-Condega Friendship Project

Association, South Florida Immigrant Rights, New York Bend, OR

Charles King Rosemary Barbera, Ph.D. Lee Siu Hin

President & CEO Sin Fronteras Chile Project National Coordinator

Housing Works, Inc. National Immigrant Solidarity

Network

Jean-Pierre Kamwa Janet Hinshaw-Thomas Jordan E. Dollar, Esq.

Executive Director Director Director of Detention Programs

Espoir, Inc. PRIME-ECR Catholic Legal Services

(Ecumenical Commitment to Miami, FL

Refugees)

Brian Concannon Holly S. Cooper Rosa E. Kasse

Executive Director Assistant Director President

Institute for Justice and Immigration Law Clinic Hispanic Coalition

Democracy in Haiti School of Law Clinical Programs Miami, Florida

University of California, Davis

Kevin Sharpley Clemencia Ortiz, MA Jose Lagos

President & CEO Executive Director President

KijiK Multimedia Inc. Latin American Immigrant & Honduran Unity-Unidad Hondurena

Refugee Organization, Inc. (LAIRO) Miami, Florida

Andres Cruz Jonathan Fried J. Amada Vargas

AJAW KABAWIL Executive Director Executive Director

Organizacion Gautemalteca WeCount! Latinos United in Action Center,

Americana Homestead, Florida Inc. (LUAC)

Indiantown, Florida

Sally Bevill Nativo V. Lopez Stephanie Grosser

Executive Director National Director Assistant Director, Washington D.C.

El Pueblo Hermandad Mexicana Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

Biloxi, MS Latinoamericana and Mexican (HIAS)

American Political Association

(MAPA)

Patricia Austin Rev. Kenneth Gavin, S.J. Jennifer Piper

Founder National Director Interfaith Organizing Director for

Positive Action for Human Jesuit Refugee Service/USA Immigrant Rights

Rights (PAHR) Coloradans for Immigrant Rights

American Friends Service

Committee

Margarita Romo Diana Bohn

Executive Director Co-coordinator Vincent Warren

Farmworkers Self-Help Nicaragua Center for Community Executive Director

Action (NICCA) and Center for Constitutional Rights

Haiti Action Committee (CCR)

Berkeley, CA

Nora Sandigo Peter A. Schey Deborah A. Drennan

Executive Director President & Executive Director Interim Administrator

American Fraternity- Center for Human Rights and Freedom House

Fraternidad Americana Constitutional Law Detroit, MI

Wade Henderson Oscar Chacon Catherine T. Tansey

President & CEO Executive Director Executive Director

Leadership Conference on National Alliance of Latin American International Institute of New Jersey

Civil Rights and Caribbean Communities

(NALACC)

Victor F. Capell n Sarang Sekhavat Francisco Ramos

President Federal Policy Director Executive Director

Dominican American National Massachusetts Immigrant and Coalition of African, Arab, Asian,

Roundtable Refugee Advocacy Coalition European, and Latino Immigrants of

Illinois (CAAAELII)

Vanna Slaughter LCSW Richard Logue Tuyet G. Duong

Division Director Program Director Senior Staff Attorney

Immigration and Legal Immigration & Refugee Services, Asian American Justice Center

Services Catholic Charities of Central Florida

Catholic Charities of Dallas,

Inc.

Sister Janet Yurkanin Beth Stickney, Esq. Stephen A. Traylor

Migration and Refugee Executive Director Attorney at Law, Managing Partner

Services Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project Traylor and Traylor, P.C.

Diocese of Trenton, NJ Portland, ME Princeton, NJ

Shay M. Farley Magalis Troncoso Lama Manny Hidalgo

Chair Director Executive Director, LEDC

Alabama Coalition for Dominican Development Center Latino Economic Development

Immigrant Justice Roslindale, MA Corporation

Kenneth L. George Ana P rez Amanda Martin

National Coordinator, President Director

Direct Human Services Salvadorean-American National Guatemala Human Rights

National Ministries, American Network, SANN Commission/USA

Baptist Churches USA

Jon Liss Bill Mefford Joshua W. Hoyt

Executive Director Director, Civil and Human Rights Executive Director

Tenants and Workers United United Methodist Church Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and

of Virginia General Board of Church and Refugee Rights

Society

Marissa Graciosa Deepak Bhargava Stephanie Porta

Director Director Florida ACORN Head Organizer

Fair Immigration Reform Center for Community Change Association of Community

Movement Washington, D.C. Organizations for Reform Now

Washington, D.C.

Rev. John Cox, OMI Kareem Shora, J.D., LLM Alie Kabba

Pastor, Holy Redeemer Executive Director Executive Director

Catholic Church American-Arab Anti- United African Organization

Miami, FL Discrimination Committee (ADC)

Professor Vanessa Merton Nyasha Karimakwenda Sital Kalantry, Co-Director and

Immigration Justice Clinic Human Rights Fellow Assistant Clinical Professor

Pace University School of Law Boston College Immigration and Immigration Appellate Law and

Asylum Project Advocacy Clinic

Cornell Law School

Steve Yale Loehr, Co-Director Claudia Lucero Betsy V. Palmieri

and Adjunct Professor President Executive Director

Immigration Appellate Law Durango Unido en Chicago Hudson Valley Community

and Advocacy Clinic Coalition

Cornell Law School

Rita Dentino Grant Mitchell Patricia Diaz

Coordinator Director Executive Director

CASA FREEHOLD International Detention Coalition Services, Immigrant Rights and

Freehold, NJ Education Network (SIREN)

San Jose, CA

Sandy Jones Farmworker Justice Rachel B. Tiven

Board Chair Washington, D.C. Executive Director

Coalition for New South Immigration Equality

Carolinians Washington, D.C.

\

Jes s Rivera

Mary Ochs Executive Director Jeanne Lindberg

Advisor Latino Providers Network Resettlement Director

D-USA Baltimore, MD Catholic Charities Immigration &

Downey, CA Refugee Services

Rockford, IL

Janis Rosheuvel Nancy Ratzan Ali Noorani

Executive Director President Executive Director

Families for Freedom National Council of Jewish Women National Immigration Forum

New York, NY (NCJW)

Hilary O. Shelton Sister Rose Marie Tresp Magda Dorleans

Vice President for Advocacy/ Director of Justice Director

Director, NAACP Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Haitian Center for the Diocese of

Washington Bureau South Central Community Trenton, NJ

Rev. Michael J. Burke, Esq. Jean-Marie Holloway Tarlow L. Miller

Director of Legal Services Immigration Outreach Service President

Catholic Family & Community Center Liberian Community Association of

Services Baltimore, MD Central New Jersey & Metro Areas

Paterson, NJ

Hillary Greene Ra l A orve Don Chery

Director Executive Director Latin America Taskforce Network

Berkshire Immigrant Center Instituto de Educacion Popular del River Road Unitarian Universalist

Pittsfield, MA Sur de California (IDEPSCA) Congregation

Bethesda, Maryland

Allan J. Daul Anne Erickson Jesus Reyes

Executive Director President & CEO Campus Liason

Catholic Charities of the Empire Justice Center Miami Dade College

Archdiocese of Newark Kendall Campus

Abdul Kamus Jose J. Estrada Fernando Mu z

Founder and Board Member Vice President Centro Guatemalteco Tec n Um n

African Resource Center Federacion de Clubes Zacatecanos New York, NY

Washington, D.C. en Illinois y el Medio Oeste

Guillerma Escobar Bartolo Vail Sergio Massa

President Coordinator Chairman/President

Mujeres Unidas por Nuestros Grupo Cajola Peruvian American Coalition, Inc.

Derechos/Women United for Morristown, NJ

our Rights (MUND)

Morristown, NJ

\

Vicenta Montoya Christine Neumann-Ortiz John P. Cunningham

Chair Executive Director Executive Director

S Se Puede Latino Democratic Voces de la Frontera Gulfcoast Legal Services

Caucus Milwaukee, WI

Las Vegas, Nevada

Rev. William Reilly Becky Sharpless M. Shane O'Meara, Esquire

Most Holy Name R.C. Church Clinical Programs Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach

Garfield, NJ Florida International University County, Inc.

Director, Multicultural and College of Law West Palm Beach, FL

Ethnic Affairs

Archdiocese of Newark, NJ

Sr. Maureen Kelleher Rev. Dr. Harold Vieux Gerald Lenoir

Managing Attorney Chair Director

Legal Aid Service of Collier Miami-Dade County Community Black Alliance for Just Immigration

County Relations Board Berkeley, CA

Felipe Matos Rachel Soltis

Students Working for Equal The New Sanctuary Coalition of

Rights (S.W.E.R.) New York City

Miami, FL

Contact this candidate