Trump Administration Bars Haiti From Guest-Worker Visa Program

The Department of Homeland Security has removed Haiti from a list of countries eligible for a program granting U.S. visas to low-skilled workers, Reuters reports. The Trump administration announced the news less than a week after President Trump questioned why the U.S. would want immigrants from Haiti in a meeting where he reportedly called Haiti and African nations “shithole countries.” The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday said it was barring Haitians from receiving H2-A and H2-B visas due to “high levels of fraud and abuse” by Haitian visa holders and a “high rate of overstaying” visa terms. The H2-A and H2-B visas, primarily for seasonal workers in agriculture and other industries, have served as one of very few legal avenues for Haitians to come to the U.S. since the program started in 2012 to help the country recover from a devastating earthquake.