What happened to all the celebrities in their "Haiti is already great" T-shirts? Is Conan O'Brien going to return to a luxury resort in Haiti and tell us again what a beautiful country it is? Oh yeah, back in December, many major airlines suspended service to Haiti after a Spirit flight was shot at on approach to the nation's major airport.
Just last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of the high cheekbones came out against the Trump administration removing Temporary Protected Status from thousands of Haitians, many of whom had been flown into the country on President Joe Biden's "parole flights."
During the Biden administration, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extended and redesignated Haiti's TPS three times, in 2021, 2023, and 2024. In February, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem partially vacated the 2024 extension, reducing it from 18 to 12 months, setting Haiti’s TPS to expire on August 3, 2025.
So is Haiti a s**thole country or not?
"Fascism fighting scribe" Lesley Abravanel shared this piece in USA TODAY about how returning Haitians to their home country would be a "death sentence."
Danae King of the Columbus Dispatch reports for USA TODAY:
The Trump administration says conditions in Haiti have improved enough that it is safe for those living in America with the special temporary status to return to the Caribbean nation. But going back to Haiti is a "death sentence," say community leaders and advocates.
Instead, Haitians living in central Ohio are scrambling to find a safe third country like Canada or Mexico to go to, said Jean Manuel, a Haitian American businessman and advocate who helps some of the approximately 30,000 Haitians living in Columbus.
…
In February, [DHS Secretary Kristi] Noem ended a Biden-era extension of TPS for Haitians that was to expire in February 2026, and, on June 27, she announced the status will officially end on Aug. 3. That means protections will end in September.
As of July 2024, more than 520,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS, according to Homeland Security.
So, President Joe Biden was going to cut off their temporary protected status during his second term, in February 2026. We guess Biden just didn't care either.
Here he is with the T-shirt.
Because the Haitians say it is because they don't want to go home. Why? Because America is great already.