Linda Dorcena Forry

Forum Consists of Panel Discussion and an Audience Q&A

            Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced this afternoon that the City of Boston, in conjunction with a number of community partners providing immigration resources to the Haitian community, will host a community forum intended for organizations and media serving the Haitian community to answer questions and dispel immigration rumors permeating the Haitian community since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010.

“Over the last month, Boston has shown a great sense of togetherness as we helped our Haitian community after the devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people. We came together as a city to support friends, co-workers and neighbors as they tried to reach their families and loved ones and we immediately arranged for a resource and call center and organized a massive fundraising effort,” said Mayor Menino. “But the work must continue as there are now questions about the often complicated immigration process and unfortunately, some are preying upon such a tragic situation by offering services they cannot provide.”

The Addressing Immigration Rumors & Questions: Learn What You Can and Cannot Do! forum, consisting of a panel discussion and an audience Question and Answer session will take place on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the Haitian Multi Service Center, located at the Yawkey Building on 185 Columbia Road in Dorchester. 

Confirmed panelists include Denis Riordan, District Director of the Boston Office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Richard Chacon, Director of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI), Emmanuelle Dupiton, Consul of the Consulate of Haiti and Tony Drago, Board Chair of the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). These immigration experts will address concerns about Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, bringing relatives to the United States, adopting children orphaned by the earthquake, benefits for Haitians granted TPS, resources for Haitian earthquake evacuees and much more.

This community forum is made possible by the generous support of the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians (MONB), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Massachusetts Office for Refugees & Immigrants (MORI), MIRA Coalition, Catholic Charities of Boston (CCAB), Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Haitian-Americans, United, Inc. (H.A.U.), The Massachusetts Haitian-American Earthquake Task Force, Haitian-American Public Health Initiative (HAPHI), Haitian Coalition of Somerville, Association of Haitian Women in Boston (AFAB) and Center for Health, Education and Research (CCHER).