NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — More than 4,000 Miami-Dade County Public Schools students were born in Haiti or have ties to the country, according to district data obtained by Local 10 News on Friday, as families grapple with renewed uncertainty over immigration policy and the future of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

At North Miami Senior High School, a 12th grade student spoke to Local 10’s Christina Vazquez Friday on the condition her name and face not be shared, citing concern for the safety of her Haitian friends and family amid troubling and disturbing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations nationwide.

“If nobody committed a crime, I don’t think you should take anybody away,” the student said.

She described why she fears for her aunt — a TPS recipient — if forced to return to Haiti.

“They broke (into) our house in Haiti. The gangs ended up going to our house. They took everything,” she said. “They even took our toilets.”

The student said her aunt, a doctor, would face added danger because of the travel required for her work.

“She had to keep going to hospitals, and the routes she had to take would have been very unsafe for her,” she said.

Miami-Dade School Board Member Dr. Steve Gallon III said the concerns echo years of advocacy tied to Haiti’s worsening conditions.

“We know the conditions in Haiti — from the earthquake to the violence to the acute poverty,” Gallon said. “This is a continuation of concern that has vexed this community.”

Gallon said he urged the Department of Homeland Security during President Donald Trump’s previous term to extend TPS protections for Haitian nationals.

Walking the campus with school administrators, Gallon noted growing anxiety among students and parents.

“Absolutely,” a vice principal said when asked whether immigration issues were affecting families, particularly with TPS decisions still pending.

Gallon said federal immigration policy has direct consequences for local schools.

“This has potentially implications for over 4,000 students at Miami-Dade County Public Schools,” he said, adding that more than 30 district employees have also gone through the TPS process.

A federal judge has paused the Trump administration’s attempt to end TPS for Haiti, a humanitarian relief program that offers deportation protection and work permits, even as the U.S. State Department maintains a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for the gang-ridden nation.

“We are very grateful that the judicial branch has continuously stated this is not the appropriate action,” Gallon said. “If it is not safe for us to travel, why are we returning people under these circumstances? That is just wrong.”

Some lawmakers are pushing to extend TPS for Haiti through a discharge petition. The office of Florida Congresswoman Maria Salazar confirmed she recently joined Democrats in signing it, signaling rare bipartisan support.

Still, Gallon said the uncertainty has left families in limbo.

“A feeling of fear and uncertainty when you’ve gone through a legal process that represents the promise of America, and that is snatched away in an arbitrary and hurtful manner — that is unacceptable,” he said.

The student said federal lawmakers need to see Haitians as people, not stereotypes.

“These people that they think are savages have families,” she said. “They are somebody’s mother, somebody’s aunt, somebody’s sister. They are doctors. They are lawyers.”

Gallon said enrollment shifts suggest immigration policy is already reshaping classrooms.

“This school was once north of 1,700 students. We’re down about 200,” he said. “We have no doubt immigration policies are impacting Miami-Dade County Public Schools.”

He added that the district saw more than 20,000 foreign-born students enroll two years ago — a number that has dropped to fewer than 5,000.

A decline in enrollment affects how much state and federal funding districts receive, impacting staffing and programming across Miami-Dade County.

“Thirty-nine dedicated employees in our M-DCPS family — individuals who have poured their hearts into supporting our students — now face the unimaginable loss of their livelihoods as their Temporary Protected Status expires,” said Miami-Dade School Board Member Luisa Santos, of District 9.

“Even more devastating, many of our students and families are being thrust into legal limbo, stripped of protections and unable to return to countries still in crisis,” she added.

The legal fight over TPS for Haiti continues as a federal judge temporarily paused the Trump administration’s attempt to end the program while an underlying lawsuit works its way through the courts.

At the same time, there is a growing bipartisan push in Congress to extend TPS for Haiti through a discharge petition. Advocates say the effort could force the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on legislation requiring the Trump administration to extend TPS protections for Haitian nationals for three years.

The petition would need 218 signatures to move forward.

Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar of South Florida’s 27th Congressional District is among the lawmakers who have signed on — marking one of the first signs of bipartisan momentum on the issue.

“Haiti is in the middle of a profound humanitarian and security collapse, and this demands leadership from the United States,” Salazar said in a statement to Local 10 News last week. “Sending people back into gang-controlled chaos is neither realistic nor humane.”

Salazar said extending TPS would give international efforts time to stabilize conditions in Haiti.

“That’s why I signed the discharge petition to move forward with extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals,” she said. “I will continue to stand firmly with the Haitian people and support every responsible effort to ensure their safety and stability.”

Local advocates say the congressional movement, combined with the federal court ruling, has provided a measure of hope — but stress the situation remains fluid for families, students and employees across Miami-Dade County.

By the numbers:

According to Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Office of Federal and State Compliance:

• 2023–24: 4,108 students were born in Haiti or had ties to Haiti. Of those, 387 were newcomers transferring from Haiti or another country, and 24 transferred from another U.S. state.
• 2024–25: Enrollment rose to 5,120 students, including 626 newcomers from Haiti or another country and 47 transfers from another state.
• As of January 2026: Enrollment stands at 4,329 students, with 82 newcomers from Haiti or another country and 28 transfers from another state.

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