Haitians in U.S. at time of earthquake can stay, work for 18 months

TAMPA — Reverberations from last week's city-splitting catastrophe in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti, reached a conference room at the local field office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Wednesday afternoon.

Starting today, said Stuart Dresser, the Tampa director for USCIS, undocumented Haitian nationals can apply for temporary protected status, or TPS, which will allow them to stay in the country and work legally for the next 18 months.

Dresser cited "the extent of the physical damage and social disruption" caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake.

The news conference at the field office here near the airport was part of a national effort to get the word out to eligible Haitians. Department of Homeland Security officials put that number at an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 nationally. The largest Haitian populations in the United States are in Florida — mainly Miami, but also Orlando and Tampa — and in New York.

"We are fully anticipating and preparing for a large volume of applicants," USCIS chief of information and customer services Debra Rogers said in a conference call. "We're ready."

All applications from Haitians will be treated as "urgent," said Alejando Mayorkas, the USCIS national director.

Peterson St. Philippe, a Creole-speaking attorney for Gulfcoast Legal Services of St. Petersburg, is already hearing from interested local Haitians, he said Wednesday. The nonprofit organization is offering free legal aid to those hoping to apply.

"It's extremely important for them to be able to work to provide for their families back home," Philippe said. "As soon as they heard about TPS, they started contacting me, asking for information."

Only Haitians who were in the United States the day of the quake are eligible. There's an application for TPS and one for employment authorization. Applicants need documentation such as a passport, valid or expired, or a birth certificate, officials said.

More information — in English, French or Creole — is at uscis.gov. People also can call 1-800-375-5283.

"There are going to be hundreds of people seeking our assistance," Gulfcoast Legal Services attorney John Dubrule said.

He estimated the Haitian population in the Tampa Bay area at 30,000. That includes maybe a minimum of 5,000 who could be TPS-eligible.

Attorneys and immigration officials also warned Haitian applicants of "notarios" and scam artists offering dubious help for exorbitant costs.