HELPING HAITI

This past weekend, I participated in a wonderful pro bono legal clinic organized specifically with the Haitian immigrant community in mind. The NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Legal Aid Society, the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now Project and many other organizations came together to help the Haitian community with Temporary Protected Status.The new temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians allows undocumented immigrants who were here on or before the earthquake hit to live and work here. The event was very well organized and had quality checks in place every step of the way. Over 300 volunteers came together to assist over 400 applicants. On arrival, the applicants were required to fill out a registration form and received a packet containing everything they would need to complete their application. As for the event itself, the organizers had stations set up for screening, special review, photographs, fee waiver assistance and application assistance. The community really came together to help each other out. There is a real need to help the Haitian community and we have a duty to help in any way that we can.