Bill > A4341

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish a Haitian Migrant Assistance Program to provide social services and financial assistance to undocumented Haitian migrants who have arrived in the State at least two years prior to the effective date of the bill. As defined in the bill, "undocumented Haitian migrant" means a person of Haitian descent residing in the United States without legal immigration status, including a person who entered the United States without inspection and proper permission from the United States government in order to find work or better living conditions or to permanently relocate to the United States, and who may be subject to removal by the government. The services offered by the program are to include financial and social service assistance; educational, referral, translation, interpreter, and employment related services; and civic and community-related instruction as outlined in the bill, and the DHS is permitted to contract with community-based, faith-based, and non-profit organizations serving immigrant populations to provide such services. Labeled as one of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been battered by natural disasters, including earthquakes and hurricanes, public health emergencies, and extreme economic hardships for hundreds of years. The catastrophic earthquake in 2010 killed more than 220,000 Haitians and left several thousand injured and about 1.5 million homeless. Another earthquake in 2021 pushed the country into an even greater crisis. In addition to natural disasters, the country experienced additional upheaval because of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and, as result, many Haitians were confronted with growing violence, extreme poverty, and a government in disarray. As the security and political situation in the Caribbean nation continued to devolve after President Moïse's death, gang violence increased and continues to affect everyday life to a perilous degree. This has led to a massive exodus of Haitians to Central and Latin America and, most recently, the United States. Given the political turmoil, economic distress, public health emergencies, and natural disasters the country has faced and continues to face, Haitian migrants undergo the treacherous journey to the United States, many who have lost their lives in the attempt, in search of safety and economic opportunity. Haiti is the country with the highest rate of asylum denial in the United States, according to data from the Justice Department. This has resulted in many Haitians entering this country undocumented and without the ability to access traditional migrant services that provide them with the financial support and social networks necessary to settle in the United States and in New Jersey. It is therefore in the public interest of the State to establish an assistance program to provide social services and financial assistance to undocumented Haitian migrants who have recently arrived in the State of New Jersey.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Reginald Atkins (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Michael Venezia (D)*,  Carmen Morales (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee (on 05/10/2024)

Official Document