Mass. lawmakers urge Biden admin. to expedite Haitian visa processing amid crisis

Nine members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation urged the State Department Tuesday to speed up the processing of immigrant visas for Haitians. They specifically called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to help expedite visa processing for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. 

The lawmakers said they were driven to act in part because Massachusetts has the third-largest Haitian diaspora in the country. Thousands of Haitian relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are stuck waiting in the processing queue for family-based visas. Although they have submitted applications, paid the necessary fees, and completed the required documentation, they are now awaiting in-person interviews and biometric processing at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, the lawmakers wrote. 

The call for action was contained in a letter sent to Blinken Tuesday. It was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as Reps. Jim McGovern, Seth Moulton, Jake Auchincloss, Ayanna Pressley, Lori Trahan, Katherine Clark, and Bill Keating. 

"The situation in Haiti demands urgent, creative solutions to ensure that, at a minimum, relatives of U.S. persons can be quickly processed and reunited with their families in the United States," they wrote. 

The officials referenced concerns about the potential for civil war in Haiti, which is in the midst of "one of the most precarious situations of any country worldwide." 

Long-term challenges like corruption, debt, and the slow recovery from deadly natural disasters were compounded by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. There is still no democratically elected government in the Caribbean nation, and gangs control about 80% of the capital. The lawmakers referenced "skyrocketing rates of homicides, kidnappings, internal displacement, cholera, and starvation."

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti has been operating on an emergency-only basis since last summer, with scaled-down staffing and non-emergency immigrant visa services suspended. Gunfire and gang activity are common around the embassy. Earlier this month, the U.S. military airlifted some American personnel out of the embassy and added more security there. 

Only a few visa interview appointments are being made available each month, the officials wrote in their letter. Even when those are made available, gang activity often prevents people from leaving their homes in Port-au-Prince. 

"As a result, the State Department's processing of immigrant visa applications has stalled for the vast majority of Haitian relatives of Americans, leaving individuals desperate with nowhere else to turn," the lawmakers wrote. 

Stop-gap solutions are needed now because the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon, they added. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would resign as soon as a transitional council is set up to facilitate new elections. But international leaders and Haitian officials working with them are facing death threats as they work to create the council. 

In their letter, the officials referenced how the State Department handled comparable situations in Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan. They urged Blinken to waive the in-person appearance requirement for immediate relatives of U.S. persons or to explore options for conducting in-person processing at other locations like the embassies of U.S. allies in Port-au-Prince. They also suggested the State Department process Haitian visas at embassies in third countries. Barbados was floated as a potential place for this, as it could be relatively easy to transport Haitian visa applicants there. 

Other bottlenecks to visa processing should be evaluated, they wrote. This could include requirements for fingerprints, medical examinations, and original documentation. The lawmakers asked for the State Department to provide more detailed information about the situation by April 9. 

The full letter can be read below.

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