MIAMI — A 32-year-old Haitian woman named Uthy spent seven years studying medicine back home, nearly reaching graduation before fleeing the country three years ago with her husband, young child, and hopes of one day returning safely. Today, she lives in Sunrise, Florida — roughly 30 miles from Miami — and asked that her last name not be published out of fear of retaliation.
“I live in pain every single day,” she said.
Uthy holds Temporary Protected Status, a federal program that shields people from deportation and grants work permits when their home countries are experiencing natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extreme conditions. But last Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with ending TPS for Haitians and Syrians — a decision that could affect hundreds of thousands of people.
The ruling has sent a wave of fear through Haitian communities in places like South Florida and New York, where TPS holders have spent years putting down roots — raising children, attending churches, launching businesses, and working in fields like healthcare, hospitality, construction, and caregiving.
Haitian Americans are deeply established in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, with major community concentrations in the Miami, New York City, and Boston areas. Advocates warn the decision’s consequences will extend far beyond those directly at risk of being deported.
The ruling follows years of heated debate over immigration policy under President Donald Trump, including criticism that his administration has used racially charged language toward immigrants of color. During the 2024 campaign, both Trump and now-Vice President JD Vance falsely claimed that Haitian migrants in Ohio were eating pets. As recently as December, Trump described Somali immigrants as “garbage.”
Despite polling from Reuters/Ipsos showing Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement remains broadly unpopular, the court’s decision gives his administration the green light to target TPS holders for detention and removal.
“If you no longer have status in this country, then you’re supposed to be deported,” said Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, speaking to reporters last week.
COMMUNITIES SEEK SUPPORT
In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, Haitians began reaching out to churches, relatives, and employers for help.
“We’re going to have to give them shelter, and we’re going to have to give them a place to stay and feed them because they won’t be able to work,” said Jean Marcellin, a Haitian American who owns restaurants across New York. “Most likely they’re going to rely on family members and community help through churches.”
One of those churches is Haitian Emmanuel Baptist Church, located in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood north of downtown. Ronald Eugene, 61, serves as the church’s assistant pastor and leads services in both English and Haitian Creole. His Sunday sermon drew from Psalm 23, encouraging his congregation to hold onto peace during the uncertainty.
After the service, Eugene said the church and community would step in where the government falls short.
“This is when we, as a church, as a body, sometimes might need to step up helping,” he said. “Because they won’t have that support.”
Reverend Daniel Ulysse, a Haitian-born Baptist minister and chair of the Haitian American Republican Caucus, estimated that between 10% and 15% of the 60,000 Haitians in parishes across Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut hold TPS. Ulysse recently met with elected officials in Washington, D.C., and said he hopes the decision will ultimately be overturned.
“Many Haitians voted for this Republican administration. Many people supported it. They were expecting better,” he said.
LEGAL OPTIONS NARROW
Immigration attorneys say their phones have been ringing nonstop since the ruling, with many Haitians asking about alternatives such as asylum or other work permits.
Congress established the TPS program in 1990 in response to a surge of migrants fleeing El Salvador’s civil war. The U.S. Homeland Security secretary can designate a country for TPS in six- to 18-month intervals, allowing eligible nationals already living in the U.S. to apply. Although the program is described as temporary, many country designations have been renewed for decades. TPS does not offer a path to citizenship, meaning some recipients have lived in legal limbo for years. Not all TPS holders would face immediate deportation if their status ends, as some have pending asylum or other claims that may allow them to remain in the country for now.
Allen Orr, a Washington-based immigration attorney, said his office is helping clients explore legal options including asylum, while cautioning that immigration courts have become increasingly difficult to navigate for migrants seeking protection.
“For Haitians who’ve been in the country sometimes many, many years, it’s difficult to provide the documentation to show you have a newfound fear to return back home,” he said.
Orr also noted that clients fear being sent to third countries with which they have no connection, if direct deportation to Haiti is not possible due to dangerous conditions there.
“The concept of being deported to a place that might not speak your language and which you have no connection to, after you’ve been somewhere in some cases five-plus years, is terrifying,” Orr said.
Advocates including North Miami City Clerk Vanessa Joseph — also an immigration attorney and Haitian American — are pointing to a bill currently before the U.S. Senate that would legally extend TPS protections for Haitians. A separate measure passed the House in April. The fate of both bills remains unclear.
Farah Larrieux, 47, lives alone in Miramar, Florida, about 30 minutes outside Miami, and holds TPS. As founder and owner of THÉLAR Management Group, a communications firm that promotes Haitian and Caribbean small businesses, her office walls are lined with awards from cities across South Florida.
Larrieux said she had braced herself for the ruling, even as it arrived on the eve of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
“The United States is still an inspiration for many countries,” she said. “And it is a shame that as we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country, this country is losing its values.”
