Mass leaders assail Trump's decision to end Haitian TPS program

The main course at Tuesday's annual Thanksgiving luncheon to honor immigrants was cooked up by the Trump administration, which plans to end temporary protected status for Haitian nationals in the U.S. in July 2019. While guests cleared their plates of stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, speaker after speaker in the Great Hall of the State House dug into the Trump administration policy announced the night before.

Walsh cruises to re-election in Boston mayoral race

Mayor Martin Walsh staved off his first mayoral challenge in decisive fashion on Nov. 7, defeating City Councillor Tito Jackson by more than 30 points, according to unofficial results from the city. In Dorchester, Walsh’s margin of victory mirrored his citywide success: He won his home neighborhood with 65 percent of the vote to Jackson’s 34 percent, according to a Reporter review of precinct returns.

Baker, Mass Senate urge TPS extension for Haitians, other foreign nationals

Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to continue temporary immigration protections for people who fled their home countries during periods of instability. The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to continue the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, Haitian and Honduran nationals living in the United States.

Walsh dominates in Round One

Mayor garners 62 percent, Jackson 29; turnout is low Incumbent Boston Mayor Martin Walsh scored a landslide, first-round victory in Tuesday’s preliminary election, overwhelming his chief challenger, City Councillor Tito Jackson, by taking 62 percent of the overall vote in a four-person field. Walsh and Jackson, who earned 29 percent of the vote, will advance to the Nov. 7 final election.

Feds charge former US Army Colonel with conspiracy, fraud in Boston-based bribery sting

A Haitian-American man from Maryland has been arrested and charged for bribery and fraud after an undercover FBI investigation into "certain Haitian-American businessmen who were offering to facilitate bribes to high-level officials in the Haitian government." The US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said that Joseph Baptiste, 64, was arrested and charged with conspiring to bribe senior officials in Haiti, and "to launder funds for that purpose, in connection with a planned $84 million port development project in that country." He is alleged to have solicited bribes from a pair of undercover FBI agents working in Boston.

Haitian-American woman assists families coping with TPS stress

Talissa Adrien recently joined the IIIC’s Immigration Legal Services (ILS) team as a Program Associate. Talissa is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and her language skills and cultural knowledge have been a fantastic addition to the IIIC team. Talissa has been working with the IIIC since June, assisting Haitian clients as they reapply for Temporary Protected Status. Over this time period, the IIIC’s staff, attorneys, interns and volunteers have assisted over 200 Haitian families and submitted applications on behalf of 154 people.

BU Soccer Fest to raise funds, excitement in Haitian community

Boston’s soccer-crazed Haitian-American residents will get a chance to root for their homeland’s team at Boston University’s 10,000-seat Nickerson Field over the Labor Day weekend.

Dental Students from Tufts and the University of Haiti Team-up to Promote Oral Health

In April, members of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine Chapter of the Student National Dental Association participated in a global service-learning trip to Haiti. This trip was led by members of the National Dental Association’s (NDA) Global Oral Health Outreach Committee, which, is an American dental organization with a mission of promoting oral health equity among people of color. There were two main components to this trip.

Feds okay six-month extension for Haitians with 'protected status'

More than 58,000 Haitians living in the United States, including 4,700 in Massachusetts, will have their temporary immigration protections extended for six months, a timeframe some Bay State officials said Monday is not long enough. Haitian nationals were granted temporary protected status in the United States after a 2010 earthquake, and public health conditions and infrastructure in Haiti have further worsened after destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew and a cholera epidemic.

Mattapan early ed. center pitches dual language Haitian Creole program

Parents of prospective students got a first look at the new K1 dual language Haitian Creole program at the Mattahunt school last Wednesday night. The program, which would roll out with the opening of the new Mattapan Early Elementary School for the 2017/2018 school year, will consist of one class comprising 15 students whose first language is Haitian Creole and 10 students whose first language is English.

Boston Haitian Reporter