For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Today, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly met with Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and other senior government officials to discuss the repatriation of returning Haitian nationals and other areas of collaboration. Secretary Kelly also discussed his recent decision to extend Temporary Protected Status for six months and reiterated that the program is meant to be temporary in nature. Secretary Kelly added that Haiti is showing significant signs of recovery following the 2010 earthquake, including the recent decision by the United Nations to withdraw the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in October 2017 and the inauguration of President Moïse in February 2017.
Secretary Kelly thanked Haitian officials for their support in receiving Haitian nationals returned from the United States and discussed the Moïse Administration’s plans to draw Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States back to the country, where their skills and capital can be used to help expand the Haitian economy.
Also while in Port-au-Prince, Secretary Kelly held a brief meeting with UN leaders in Haiti, including Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of Mission Sandra Honoré and MINUSTAH Military Commander Brazilian Lieutenant General Ajax Porto Pinheiro. Secretary Kelly thanked both officials for their service in helping to support Haitian authorities in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, and discussed plans by the UN to transition to a smaller mission that will focus on rule-of-law issues and the Haitian National Police following the end of MINUSTAH later this year.
# # #