Q&A: US, Mexican policies on arriving Haitians vary

In this June 6, 2017 photo, Rodin St. Surin, of Haiti, looks on as coworkers talk on the floor of a factory in Tijuana, Mexico. St. Surin, 36, who left Brazil with hopes of joining a cousin in Miami, earns 1,500 pesos ($83) for a six-day week but has health coverage, paid vacation and a free shuttle to work. He sends his earnings to a caretaker for his three children in Haiti, who he hopes to bring to Tijuana. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

By Associated Press September 19, 2017 3 min read

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) – Up to 4,000 Haitians established a community in Mexico’s northwest corner after the United States abruptly shut its doors last year. Here are some questions and answers about U.S. and Mexican policies.

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WHAT ABOUT HAITIANS IN THE UNITED STATES?

After Haiti’s earthquake in 2010, about 58,000 Haitians who arrived in the U.S. by January 2011 got “temporary protected status,” which includes work authorization. In June, the Trump administration extended their status to January.

Separately, thousands of Haitians who were taken in by Brazil and other South American countries after the earthquake began making their way to the United States last year through San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says 6,424 Haitians showed up at border crossings with Mexico during the 12-month period ended Sept. 30, up from only 334 a year earlier. They were generally paroled to live in the United States on humanitarian grounds.