TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING PRESIDENT OBAMA�S ADMINISTRATION TO ALLOW 55,000 HAITIANS ALREADY APPROVED FOR VISAS TO ENTER THE U.S.

BODY

WHEREAS, on January 12, 2010, Haiti was devastated by an unprecedented 7.0 Richter Scale earthquake that has killed at least 250,000 people, left millions homeless and injured, and destroyed important Haitian institutions and infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, prior to the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had approved immigrant visa petitions for 55,000 Haitians that are currently waiting for their priority dates to become current, which is estimated to take from six (6) to twelve (12) years; and
WHEREAS, President Obama�s Administration has the legal authority to promptly allow these 55,000 Haitians to enter the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, doing so would reunite families, provide for orderly migration, and ease the burden on Haiti�s overwhelmed government without cost to the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, Haiti�s prompt recovery and the preservation of its democracy are in the best interest of the U.S. and Miami-Dade County given Haiti�s proximity and our large Haitian-American population; and
WHEREAS, allowing 55,000 legal Haitian immigrants approved to come to the U.S. and allowing them to work is a simple, effective way to help Haiti recover from the catastrophe now being suffered; and
WHEREAS, if allowed to work in the United States, the 55,000 beneficiaries would send remittances to Haiti supporting hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges President Obama�s Administration to allow 55,000 Haitians already approved for visas to enter the U.S. in the coming months.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit certified copies of this resolution to President Barack Obama, the members of the Florida congressional Delegation and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the issue set forth in Section 1 above, and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2011 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.