Requires DHS to establish Haitian Migrant Assistance Program.

A4703

ASSEMBLY, No. 4703

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Morales

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DHS to establish Haitian Migrant Assistance
Program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As 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 Mo�se 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 Mo�se�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 Mo�se 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 Mo�se�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.