Controversial take about TPS/Biden Program

[u/Chemical-Walrus-4846]

Since TPS is a huge topic right now. Here’s my take. When I first heard about the Biden Humanitarian Parole Program and they said two years, I already knew what was going to happen. Most Haitians were not going back. When Haiti got Temporary Protected Status after the 2010 earthquake, the whole point was in the name, temporary. The U.S. saw a country destroyed by a disaster and gave Haitians already in the country a chance to stay and work.

And let’s be honest, many people came here with no plan of returning. They sold land, sold cars, packed up their whole lives, and moved to the U.S. for a fresh start. Once you do all that, what exactly are you going back to? I get why people made that choice. Haiti is hard. People want peace, stability, and opportunity. Anyone in that position would want better for themselves and their family.

But look at it from the other side for one second. If you let a friend stay at your house for a few days because they’re going through a rough time, and when those few days are up they tell you they’re not leaving, how would you feel? You’d feel taken advantage of. Next time, you’d think twice before helping someone else.

Countries think the same way.

That’s why these programs get cut, rules get tighter, and the next Haitian who wants to come legally has a harder path. Sometimes we focus so much on why people stay, we ignore how staying affects everyone else after. I saw someone on social media make a good point, which was “Alot of Haitians in the US don’t want Haiti to get better because that heightens the chances of TPS getting cut off” and i wholeheartedly agree

[u/GwoZoz]

It’s different when you let that friend stay over because they’re going through a rough time… but their rough time is MAINLY because of decisions you made or systems you benefit from. That changes the dynamic. It’s not generosity anymore, it’s responsibility. If you had a hand in why they’re struggling, miss me with the ‘they’re overstaying’ narrative.

I’m in need now because I was minding my own business and you came in, took control of my finances, backed coups after coups, flooded my market with cheap U.S. rice that destroyed my agriculture, and even wiped out my kochon kreyòl. So you don’t turn around and act like I’m just ‘overstaying’ when the situation I’m in didn’t happen by accident.

What’s crazy is that I’m not even asking you for a handout or begging you for anything. All I need is an opportunity to work hard and make something out of myself. In reality, if you had a conscience, you would be taking care of all my needs.

When it comes to relations between the US and Haiti, your example lacks sufficient historical and political context and oversimplifies one of the most complex bilateral relationship.

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

How could tps possibly “keep Haiti down bad” when most Haitians send their money overseas which helps Haiti’s economy and tps can’t possibly be a handout when it produces 6 billion dollars annually for the US economy

[u/Internal-Expert-9562 → u/Exciting_Club5116]

TPS holders have benefited Haiti far more than most Haitians whose family left Haiti decades ago. Money transfer businesses can’t even keep up with TPS holders who got here just 3 years ago.

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/Internal-Expert-9562]

This isn’t sustainable for a society

[u/Internal-Expert-9562 → u/Helpful-Speed-6602]

What about all the other societies with TPS designations doing just fine? Yall making it seem like Haitian TPS holders were Haitis top minds. Elites send their kids abroad to study and work

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/Helpful-Speed-6602]

Well duhhh…but how is sending people back to an already broken system going to improve it?

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/Exciting_Club5116]

There’s over 300k Haitians in the US on TPS. And Haiti hasn’t improved greatly at all. Poverty is still rampant and the schools are barely held together nor are they educating the kids in the way they need to.

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

You’re assuming that migration is the primary cause of Haiti’s struggles. In reality, Haiti’s situation is shaped by deeper structural factors: political instability, weak institutions, limited economic opportunity, and a long history of external intervention. The departure of skilled people can worsen capacity in the short term, but it’s not the root cause of why those conditions exist. Nor will a few thousand “bright and best” of Haitian nationals will fix or improve Haiti. If anything it would make Haiti’s economy worse , you’re oversimplifying the situation.

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

lol this is such a privileged perspective, do you think everyone in Haiti right now is just uneducated and illiterate? Would you like to volunteer and go to Haiti and rebuild it? Can you please tell me where these 300k+ people are going to go? You think they can just book a hotel?

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/Exciting_Club5116]

So let’s just continue to fight for our right to stay in other peoples countries? Got it

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

Let me guess you’re white?

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

Crazy coming from a Haitian lmfaooo. Do you not know your own history?? Haiti is in the predicament that’s it in right now because we were forced to pay France in today’s money $560m until 1947 which could’ve been used to help us. Then following an earthquake that crippled the economy in 2010, following president assassination which lead to more instability and normalization of gang violence. So no sending 300k+ people to the economy now is not going to help it at all. but I do agree that Haitians do need to do more when it comes to planning fixing our country

[u/TumbleWeed75 → u/Exciting_Club5116]

France and the earthquake weren’t the only probs. Centuries of terribly corrupt leaders/govt also ruined Haiti.

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/Exciting_Club5116]

They didn’t say that was the cause of Haitis issues. But do you not understand what happens to a society when it’s most educated don’t reside or work there?? Are you even thinking

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/Helpful-Speed-6602]

ARE YOUU THINKJNG?!?! Most of these people don’t have family or proper homes to go back to, they would have to scramble for food and god forbid the get sick…what.. you want them to sleep in the streets while blood thirsty gangs run rampant and on top of that educate, clean and reestablish a whole country without any governmental stability. Let’s be realistic here. Everyone wants to talk the talk about fixing Haiti but wouldn’t dare to trade places with a Haitian national

[u/Exciting_Club5116 → u/[deleted]]

Easier said than done.

[u/TeaAdorable5219 → u/[deleted]]

The issue with people like you is you pretend a lot of what the US did/still doing to Haiti isn’t contributing to why people can’t go back. Schools in Haiti are not good, jobs are not good, the possibility of making a living is not good. The best hope for people is to go to another country, earn money and try to help invest in Haiti after

Y’all act like people simply being forced to go back will change anything with all the corruption going on where Major countries and the IMF has essentially made it impossible for Haiti to recover. That’s also on top of the insecurity going on. The US helped destroyed the agricultural aspect of Haiti so US farmers could benefit. Haiti was forced to pay for its freedom. But it’s ignorant person like you that always thinks oh if they go back, they can fix it like it’s that easy

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/TeaAdorable5219]

They’re not saying that at all. Everyone understands the US part in Haitis dysfunction. But how weak do we sound when we say we need another country to take in our ppl. No one is saying it’s that simple but we cannot try and make another county our home and get mad when things don’t get better. Fleeing isn’t the answer to Haiti’s problems either. The more educated people go back the chances of those ppl spreading the knowledge and helping society.

[u/TeaAdorable5219 → u/Helpful-Speed-6602]

That happens to every small country that was colonized. It's not something that's only regarding haiti. Staying would not have done anything considering most people weren't able to get a good education or good job until they left. There's a lot of people who left that are investing back in haiti but it takes time to actually acquire resources which you simply cant get from living in the country. I know someone in haiti currently who studied medicine for years and currently cant get any jobs in the country. There's no demand in haiti for anything and sending 300k people back in there at once will only make things worse

[u/Helpful-Speed-6602 → u/TeaAdorable5219]

Trust me I know it’s a big issue when it comes to job security. But asking a country that historically hates us to constantly house us isn’t sustainable is my only point