Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein are urging Haitian refugees to attend the City’s first free Temporary Protected Status application clinic this Saturday, January 30 at Medgar Evers College. During the Mayor’s radio show this morning on WOR 770 AM, the Mayor and Allan Wernick, Director of CUNY’s Citizenship Now! program announced the launch of a series of immigration assistance clinics starting, this Saturday, as promised in the Mayor’s State of the City speech last week.
The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is working in partnership with CUNY Citizenship Now!, the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the Legal Aid Society, Medgar Evers College, the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance to provide free legal and administrative support for Haitian immigrants eligible for Temporary Protected Status.
Hundreds of volunteers at three application clinics in Brooklyn and Queens will assist Haitian immigrants in navigating through the basic eligibility requirements and the documents needed to apply for Temporary Protected Status.
“New York City stands ready to assist the Haitian community affected by the tragic earthquake in any way we can,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “For many Haitians New Yorkers wanting to support family and friends back home, filing for Temporary Protected Status is a critically important step, because it allows them to find legal employment here and send more money back to their loves ones as they work to rebuild their lives. We’re fully committed to helping Haitian immigrants avail themselves of this opportunity by working with CUNY and community organizations to ensure they receive adequate legal counseling.”
“The City University of New York is very pleased to join with Mayor Bloomberg in strong support of this vital initiative to help enable Haitian immigrants to obtain Temporary Protected Status as authorized by the national administration,” said Chancellor Goldstein. “We have committed the talents, resources, and expertise of CUNY’s highly regarded Citizenship Now project to work together with the Mayor’s Office and participating organizations in a comprehensive outreach program of free assistance, beginning this weekend at Medgar Evers College. Help for Haiti is very much a part of all of us at CUNY.”
On Friday, January 15th, President Obama’s administration announced an 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Haitians present in the United States on or before January 12, 2010. TPS is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to individuals who cannot safely return to their countries of origin due to grave disturbances, such as natural disasters. TPS grants individuals in the United States the right to live and work legally in the United States for as long as Haiti is designated a TPS country. Attorneys and other legal professionals will help applicants fill out forms, advise them on legal issues, provide them with fee information, mailing envelopes pre-addressed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, and pre-addressed Certified Mail/Return Receipt forms.
Assistance clinics and all services, including photos, are free to the public. Three free TPS Application Assistance clinics are currently scheduled for the following dates:
Saturday, January 30, 2010
11:00am to 4:00pm
Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Saturday, February 6, 2010
11:00am to 4:00pm
P.S. 181
1023 New York Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11203
Saturday February 20, 2010
11:00am to 4:00pm
York College
94 – 20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd
Jamaica, NY 11451
Contact: Stu Loeser / Evelyn Erskine (212) 788-2958
Michael Arena (CUNY) (212) 794-5685
The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847 as The Free Academy, the University’s 23 institutions include 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves 260,000 credit students and 269,808 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program for 32,500 high school students, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. More than 1 million visitors and 2 million page views are served each month by www.cuny.edu, the University’s website.