New Jersey-2024-A4341-Introduced

An Act concerning the provision of financial and social services to Haitian migrants and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares the following:

a. Labeled as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been battered by natural disasters, including earthquakes and hurricanes, and extreme economic hardships for hundreds of years.

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. Ordinary Haitians are afraid to leave their homes even to access food and water, and the institutions nominally in charge of the country lack a true mandate to power and have proven incapable of managing the chaos.

f. It is not only political instability and natural disasters that have hindered Haiti's economic growth. The country has also battled public health emergencies, including a cholera epidemic and the coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This has led to the massive exodus of Haitians to Central and Latin America and, most recently, the United States.

g. In prior years, many Haitians fled to countries like Brazil, Chile, and Panama in order to find work, but those who could afford the trip faced low wages and discrimination. As a result, many Haitians left Central and Latin America and started traveling to the United States border.

h. Given the political turmoil, economic distress, public health emergencies, and natural disasters the country faces, Haitian migrants continue to undergo the treacherous journey to the United States, many who have lost their lives in the attempt, in search of safety and economic opportunity.

i. 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.

j. 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 New Jersey.

2. a. The Department of Human Services shall 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 this act.

b. As used in this section, "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.

c. The services offered by the program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall include the following:

(1) information concerning, and assistance in completing, applications for appropriate State and federal housing assistance programs or State administered public assistance benefits, if applicable;

(2) time-limited cash assistance;

(3) employment-related case management services, including but not limited to, English and literacy instruction, employment readiness, and access to vocational skills training;

(4) referrals to legal assistance and immigration advocacy organizations, specifically those which specialize in providing services to individuals of Haitian descent or with staff who speak Haitian Creole;

(5) clothing assistance, personal finance and budgeting education, and life skills training;

(6) referrals to interpreter and language translation services provided in Haitian Creole; and

(7) a community orientation program that includes, but is not limited to:

(i) information on the city, town, or municipality where a Haitian migrant settles, including information on contacts for emergency, public safety, medical, and transportation services;

(ii) civic instruction on State and federal laws and how federal, State, local, municipal governments operate; and

(iii) information on Statewide and national customs, traditions, and practices.

d. The department may contract with community-based, faith-based, and non-profit organizations serving immigrant populations to provide the services offered in subsection c. of this section.

3. The Department of Human Services shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

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.