NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, OCT 11 – OCT 17, 2018 | VOL. 15 NO. 41
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Bad Credit Could Cost You A Green Card By Caroly Pedersen
Under the new “public charge” draft proposal, released recently, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, (USCIS), will be able to review the financial histories and credit scores of immigrants as part of its determination as whether or not they are eligible for permanent residency or a green card.
By Garth A. Rose & Kathy Barrett
Haitians in Florida are once more mobilizing help for victims of another natural disaster in their homeland.
On the night of October 6th, a strong 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti's northwestern region, close to the city of Port-de-Paix. Since the quake hit, initially claiming 11 lives, the death toll has risen to stand at 17 as of Wednesday. A bulletin from Haiti's Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), noted that in addition to the 17 deaths, at least 333 people are injured, most of them in hospitals in the North West, Artibonite and North departments. Hundreds of homes are destroyed or damaged. According to initial assessments, 7,783 families are also in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the
North West, Artibonite and North departments due to the partial or total destruction of their homes.” In Miami Shores, Florida, on Wednesday, several Haitian-Americans gathered at the home of Josephine Celeste, a Haitian-American nurse, making phone calls and organizing various forms of help for the families affected by the quake. Celeste said she has relatives living in the Port-de-Paix region, and “although they are alive and well, they are still in urgent need of help.” “It's unbelievable 8 years after the big quake in 2010, which killed thousands of my people, and from which I was lucky to escape and come to Miami, we are faced with the devastation from another quake. Oh God! Every year it's
another disaster,” said Beautician Maria Altidor said. “Once more my people need help!” The Haitian government has declared a state of emergency and appealed for international aid for survivors and to help hospitals that were damaged by the disaster. The global health and humanitarian relief organization, Project Hope, headquartered in Millwood, Virginia, has deployed a medical team to those regions in Haiti impacted by the earthquake and its many aftershocks, including one of a 5.2 magnitude on Sunday. “Project HOPE responded to the 2010 earthquake and we are still here to support Haiti through this difficult time,” said Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Regional Director of the Americas for Project HOPE.
The proposed measure called: “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” widely believed to be part of the ongoing attempts to limit legal immigration, seeks to prohibit those who have received public benefits or are believed to likely require public assistance in the future, from obtaining permanent residency status in the U.S. Additionally, as part of this determination, the rule would allow USCIS officers to use credit reports to review an applicant's credit score, financial and bill payment history, debts, work and residence history, lawsuits and bankruptcies for both immigrant and non-immigrant cases to determine whether or not that person is “self-sufficient.”
continues on A7 – Earthquake
continues on A8 – Bad Credit
WHAT’S INSIDE NEWSMAKER
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REMEMBERING IVY RALPH: DESIGNER OF JAMAICA’S KAREEBA A3
CLINTON URGES CARIBBEAN TO KEEP REJUVENATING TOURISM A4
JAH 9 AND OSHUN MAKE BROWARD DEBUT C2
SON OF FORMER WEST INDIES PLAYER TO RUN FOR U.S. D2