Right to Livelihood for Haitian Migrants
Last updated July 2024
In 2023, some 200,000 Haitians entered the United States with temporary authorization, under a form of humanitarian parole that allows them to stay for two years. An additional 107,000 Haitians in the United States have Temporary Protected Status. Most are able and determined to work so they can support themselves and their families, lead dignified lives, and contribute to the United States during their time here. Yet they are stymied by an unnecessarily complicated requirement: getting legal authorization to work.
The process of obtaining an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is unduly long, expensive, confusing, and burdensome. Migrants from countries such as Haiti face challenges that others do not, undermining their human rights to dignity and work.
In March 2024, a team of three student researchers from Wesleyan University investigated the EAD process in Boston, Massachusetts, under the supervision of Pooja Bhatia. They interviewed recent Haitian arrivals, immigration attorneys, and social service providers; visited migrant shelters; and participated in a large symposium in Boston focused on Haitian migrants.
Their forthcoming report examines the onerous EAD process, describes a recent pilot program to expedite work permits, and outlines measures authorities should consider to reduce their human cost. In addition, student researchers will receive contributor credits for a forthcoming magazine article that examines the legal precarity faced by Haitian migrants. The piece will appear in The Baffler in the fall of 2024.
