Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti

PRESS RELEASE By: Mario JOSEPH, Av Bureau des Avocats Internationaux We, the Biwo Avoka Entènasyonal (BAI), Mouvman Jèn Solidè pou yon lòt Sosyete (MJSS), MOLEGHAF, cholera victims, and all the other organizations who launched a nation-wide appeal of awareness, salute the massive participation of the Haitian people during the various days of  national awareness across the country since February 7th, 2019.  We would also like to take this opportunity to launch a warning to all politicians and elite business men who believe they can twist the 3 fundamental claims of the Haitian people having a conjectural and structural aspect. In the conjectural aspect, the Haitian population is making a politico-legal claim demanding the departure of Jovenel Moise so the Petro-Caribe trial can take place. Because Jovenel’s name has been mentioned in several reports from governmental institutions such as UCREF, Parliament, […]

Konferans pou laprès By: Mario JOSEPH, Av Bureau des Avocats Internationaux Nou menm, Biwo Avoka Entènasyonal yo (BAI), Mouvman Jèn Solidè  pou yon lòt Sosyete (MJSS), MOLEGHAF, Viktim kolera yo ak lòt òganizasyon ki te lanse apèl mobilizasyon jeneral toupatou nan peyi a, salye patisipasyon masiv  pèp Ayisyen an  nan diferan jounen mobilizasyon nasyonal ki tanmen nan peyi a depi 07 fevriye 2019. Nou pwofite okazyon sa pou lanse yon pinga bay tout politisyen tradisyonèl ak boujwazi machann diri a, ki konprann yo ka pèvèti 3 revandikasyon fondamantal pèp Ayisyen an ki gen yon dimansyon konjonktirèl ak yon dimansyon estriktirèl: Nan dimansyon konjonktirèl la, pèp Ayisyen an gen yon  revandikasyon politiko-jiridik ki egzije depa Jovenel Moise pou pwosè petro-karibe a ka fèt. Paske non Jovenel mansyone nan plizyè rapò enstitisyon leta a, tankou UCREF, Palman an ak Koudèkont, kòm youn nan […]

The following is a lightly edited compilation of a thread posted on Twitter by Jake Johnston, International Research Associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and lead author of the Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch blog. You can draw a pretty straight line from the last electoral process to the current unrest in Haiti. Building for months, and frankly years, the country has now been shut down for five days as tensions – and violence – increase, threatening President Jovenel Moise’s mandate. In 2015 and 2016, backed by the international community, political and economic actors made a Faustian bargain in the name of “stability.” They decided to allow fraudulent and violence-plagued legislative elections to stand, and rerun them at the presidential level. The failure of that analysis is evidenced by the situation in Haiti today. In truth, […]

Saget v. Trump plaintiff, Gerald Michaud, attended the State of the Union address on February 6, 2019, speaking for 300,ooo TPS holders. Gerald shares his experience below in the New York Times. Original article can be found here As President Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday, two guests sitting in the gallery and listening closely were immigrants he has long known. They cleaned Mr. Trump’s cottage at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., despite lacking legal status in the United States. Victorina Morales and Sandra Diaz were among some 20 immigrants, many of them facing possible deportation, on the list of guests seated in the secure gallery for the annual address. Even as the president wrapped his speech in a theme of national unity, he made immigration — his signature issue — central to it, as […]

As a result of excellent legal developments in Ramos in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: xxx 1) TPS for Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua, and El Salvador will extend into 2020 at least; 2) Those extensions are automatic without anyone with TPS from one of these four countries having to do anything or pay anyone anything at all; employers and the DMV must respect the Federal Register notices embodying these extensions. 3) Those who used to have TPS but who didn’t re-register under Trump in 2017 or 2018 out of fear, confusion, or other good cause are strongly encouraged to consider re-registering late now, because DHS has agreed to give “presumptive weight” of validity to such “late-for-good-cause” applications!  (Importantly, such late applications should be filed only after consulting and with the help of an experienced and competent immigration attorney, whether free, low-cost, or otherwise, […]

As a result of excellent legal developments in Ramos in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: 1) TPS for Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua, and El Salvador will extend into 2020 at least; 2) Those extensions are automatic without anyone with TPS from one of these four countries having to do anything or payanyone anything at all; employers and the DMV must respect the Federal Register notices embodying these extensions. 3) Those who used to have TPS but who didn’t re-register under Trump in 2017 or 2018 out of fear, confusion, or other good cause should now re-register, because DHS has agreed to give “presumptive weight” of validity to such “late-for-good-cause” applications!  This is extremely important for the thousands of Haitians who let their TPS lapse in 2017 or 2018! This excellent news is explained in detail here. […]

IJDH Executive Director Position Description xxx Dear Friends, xxx I am excited to announce that the Institute for Justice & Democracy (IJDH) is making a transition to the next generation of leadership that will take the organization into the future. After 14 years of leading the Institute, it is time for me to step aside as Executive Director. xxx It has been a privilege to work with my colleagues at IJDH and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, as well as our collaborators. We have won many important victories, including the UN’s historic apology for bringing cholera to Haiti, victories in Haitian and international courts, the establishment and several extensions of TPS, training of many people’s lawyers in Haiti, etc.  Although I need to recharge my batteries, I am confident that my dedicated and talented BAI and IJDH colleagues will win […]

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A brief primer on the current TPS information for Haitians created by Steven Forester, IJDH’s immigration policy coordinator.  As a result of developments in the Ramos case, Haiti TPS WON’T end July 22!  It’ll go thru December at least, and no one who now has TPS needs to pay or do ANYTHING at all to benefit!  More good news: any Haitian who had TPS but doesn’t anymore because they didn’t reregister for it in either 2017 or 2018 may and should reregister now!  (But beware of rip-off artists: no one who now has TPS needs to pay anyone or do anything except show their employer a Fed Register Notice to be published in March extending TPS thru December!)   DETAILS OF THIS:  Due to TPS-related legal developments in the ongoing Ramos federal court case:   1)  TPS for Haitians will virtually certainly NOT end on July 22, 2019; the […]

PDF version of Press Release available here View Press Release in French FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mario Joseph, Managing Attorney, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, mario@ijdh.org, +509 3701 9879 (Kreyol, French, English) Sandra Wisner, Program Lawyer and Bertha Justice Fellow, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, sandra@ijdh.org, +509 44 39 3836 (English, French) Lawyers Denounce UN’S Failure to Cooperate in Paternity and Child Support Suits Against UN Peacekeepers (Boston and Port-au-Prince, January 14, 2019) – Lawyers for Haitian mothers who have filed child support actions against UN peacekeepers today slammed the UN’s approach to their case as non-responsive, non-cooperative and opaque.The UN has committed to providing assistance and judicial cooperation in such cases, but in a letter to UN Victims’ Rights Advocate Jane Connors, attorneys from the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) and Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti […]

Read this letter in French Read this letter as a PDF January 14, 2019 Dear Assistant Secretary-General Connors, We write to you in your capacity as UN Victims’ Rights Advocate (VRA) to express our concern at the UN’s continuing failure to provide effective assistance and judicial cooperation to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) represented by the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), and at your office’s lack of cooperation regarding our clients’ cases. As you know, lawyers from the BAI represent mothers of children abandoned by UN peacekeepers in Haitian court actions for child support. We were pleased to meet with you at the BAI office on April 18, 2018 to discuss the UN’s obligations both to provide assistance and support to our clients and to cooperate in their judicial actions. As you will recall during this meeting, we […]

IJDH Legal Internship Summer 2019 About Us The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) has successfully helped Haitians enforce their human rights since 2004. IJDH partners with the Haiti-based Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) to support grassroots struggles for justice in Haiti and in the powerful countries abroad where decisions about Haitians’ rights are often made. IJDH and BAI combine traditional legal strategies with organizing, emerging technology and public advocacy to address the root causes of instability and poverty in Haiti.  We fight using routinely excellent legal work combined with creativity, humility, inspiration and humor, as well as a supportive work culture. We effect broad changes with modest resources by nurturing large advocacy networks. Internship Description  IJDH is seeking 1-2 full-time legal interns passionate about supporting justice struggles in the Global South. The Summer Legal Internship is an […]

Video Updates from Bea: Media Coverage: Canaan: Haiti’s Promised Land, Allison Shelley, Jacob Kushner, Mark Fahey, Pulitzer Center, January 13, 2015 Temporary Protected Status: An Overview, American Immigration Council, August 1, 2018 Flee or hide: Haitian immigrants face difficult decisions under Trump, Alexandra Villarreal, The Guardian, October 30, 2018 Trial to Begin in Fight to Challenge Trump Haiti TPS Decision, Naeisha Rose, Haitian Times, January 4, 2019 Haitian Immigrants & Allies Decry Trump Termination of TPS at Opening of Federal Trial, NIPNLG, IJDH, 32BJ SEIU, BAJI, UndocuBLACK, NYIC, January 4, 2019 Outside Federal Court, Haitian Immigrants and Allies Decry “Racist” Trump End of TPS at Start of Federal Trial to Halt Possible Deportations, NIPNLG, IJDH, 32BJ SEIU, BAJI, UndocuBLACK, NYIC, January 7, 2019 Bklyn Trial Begins to Halt Trump’s Move to End TPS for Haitians, Andrea Leonhardt, BK Reader, January […]

For Immediate Release: January 7, 2019 Contact: Carolina González cagonzalez@seiu32bj.org (929) 287-4263; Paromita Shah paromita@nipnlg.org (202) 271-2286; Beatrice Lindstrom beatrice@ijdh.org (404) 217-1302 Outside Federal Court, Haitian Immigrants and Allies Decry “Racist” Trump End of TPS at Start of Federal Trial to Halt Possible Deportations Federal trial begins to protect more than 50,000 Haitian immigrants and their families from losing immigration status Brooklyn, NY — Haitian immigrants affected by the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), along with Haitian community members, elected officials, faith and labor leaders and immigration advocates spoke out about the importance and possible impact of a critical lawsuit against the Trump administration over TPS termination for Haiti on Monday morning outside the federal courthouse in Brooklyn where the trial began today. The lawsuit, Saget et al v. Trump, brought on behalf of nine individuals, a […]

Latest article on the upcoming TPS trial featuring Steve Forester, IJDH’s Immigration Policy Coordinator. Federal trial begins Monday to protect more than 50,000 immigrants and their families from being forcibly separated by deportation. Haitian immigrants and allies to rally at the opening of  the federal trial to halt possible deportations. By Naeisha Rose The fight to protect Haitians immigrants under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States is going full steam ahead and has resulted in a lawsuit and rally, which will be held on Monday at the Eastern District of New York Federal Courthouse in downtown Brooklyn. The demonstration on Jan. 7 will be at 9 a.m. Opening motions for the court case to keep approximately 50,000 people from the Caribbean island from being deported is scheduled at 9:30 a.m., according to a press release for representatives of the plaintiffs […]

  Contact: Carolina González cagonzalez@seiu32bj.org(929) 287-4263 Contact: Paromita Shah paromita@nipnlg.org(202) 271-2286 Contact: Beatrice Lindstrom beatrice@ijdh.org(404) 217-1302   Haitian Immigrants and Allies Decry Trump Termination of TPS at Opening of Federal Trial to Halt Possible Deportations  Federal trial begins Monday to protect more than 50,000 immigrants and their families from being forcibly separated by deportation WHAT: Press conference with plaintiffs and community members to discuss critical federal case to halt the termination of federal program that has allowed more than 50,000 Haitian immigrants to live and work legally in the US.   WHO: Jocelyne Gay, HaÏti Liberté; Marleine Bastien, Executive Director at Family Action Network Movement (FANM) and other Haitian TPS holder plaintiffs in the case; Paromita Shah, Associate Director at National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild; Elected officials, including Council Member Mathieu Eugene; Community, faith and labor allies, […]

PRESS RELEASE: December 6, 2018 The Bureau of International Lawyers  (BAI) demands a committee of truth and justice to form an independent investigation of the massacre against the impoverished inhabitants of the peoples’ district of La Saline, within the indifference of the “government of the Notary Jean Henry Ceant.” The BAI, in its primary mission to defend the rights of the most deprived citizens – inalienable rights, guaranteed and inherent to human beings, in particular those victims of State terrorism, of cholera imported by MINUSTAH (UN Mission deployed after the 2010 earthquake), of women and girls, victims of rape and sexual assaults – emphatically denounces the irresponsible behaviour of the government of notary Jean Henry Ceant.  The investigation is in regard to the massacres perpetrated against the inhabitants of poor neighborhoods since this government’s  presence in the Prime Minister’s office, particularly the […]

View in Creole View in French Context On December 27, 2018, a day of reflection on the latest bloody events that took place in La Saline in November 2018 was carried out by Quisqueya University, Notre Dame University of Haiti and the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH). This event was attended by dozens of people from different sectors of national life – human rights defenders, lawyers, doctors, agronomists, pastors, priests, university professors, students, journalists, economists, feminist activists, leaders companies, psychologists, sociologists, etc.  It was an opportunity, once again, to present the human and material loss record, make a legal analysis of events, look at the security situation in La Saline, stressing its impact on the lives of families and children, and reflect on a strategy for collective action to bring life back to La Saline. At […]

PDF Version: Deklarasyon La Saline Mete nan kontèks Sou Desanm 27, 2018, yon jou refleksyon sou evènman dènye san ki te fèt nan La Saline nan Novanm 2018 te pote soti nan Quisqueya Inivèsite, Notre Dame Inivèsite an Ayiti ak rezo a Nasyonal pou defans la nan Dwa. Moun (RNDDH). Aktivite sa a te ale nan plizyè douzèn moun ki soti nan diferan sektè nan lavi nasyonal – defansè dwa moun, avoka, doktè, agwonòm, pastè, prèt, pwofesè inivèsite, elèv, jounalis, ekonomis, aktivis feminis, lidè konpayi, sikològ, sosyològ, elatriye. – te yon opòtinite pou yon lòt fwa ankò, prezante dosye imen an ak materyèl, fè yon analiz legal nan evènman, gade nan sitiyasyon sekirite a nan La Saline, ensistans enpak li sou lavi yo nan fanmi yo ak timoun yo epi reflechi sou yon estrateji pou aksyon kolektif pou pote lavi […]

PDF Version: Déclaration de La Saline  Mise en contexte Le 27 décembre 2018, une journée de réflexion sur les derniers événements sanglants survenus à La Saline au cours du mois de novembre 2018 a été réalisée par l’Université Quisqueya, l’Université Notre Dame d’Haïti et le Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH). Cette activité à laquelle ont pris part plusieurs dizaines de personnes issues de différents secteurs de la vie nationale – défenseurs des droits humains, avocats, médecins, agronomes, pasteurs, prêtres, professeurs d’Universités, étudiants, journalistes, économistes, militantes féministes, chefs d’entreprises, psychologues, sociologues, etc. – a été une occasion pour encore une fois, présenter le bilan humain et matériel des pertes enregistrées, faire une analyse juridique des événements, se pencher sur la situation sécuritaire à La Saline, en insistant sur son impact sur la vie des familles et des enfants […]