MIAMI — Members of South Florida’s Haitian community reacted with grief and defiance after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 250,000 Haitians.
The ruling came as community members gathered outside Miami City Hall to protest the city’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As news of the 6-3 decision spread through the crowd, protesters embraced and comforted one another.
“All of these battles are intertwined,” said Paul Christian Namphy, lead organizer and political director of the Family Action Network Movement.
TPS advocates argue that conditions in Haiti remain too dangerous for deportations. The U.S. State Department continues to maintain a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for the country because of widespread violence and instability.
“My people, they can’t go back. It is real. The reality in Haiti is real. Unsafe conditions in Haiti are real,” said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Petit pointed to ongoing humanitarian crises, including violence against children, a lack of functioning schools and limited access to healthcare.
“There are no grounds for terminating Haiti TPS based on the country conditions inside Haiti,” Namphy said. “This is absolutely absurd.”
For Farah Larrieux, a Haitian TPS recipient, the decision brought fear and uncertainty.
“After the earthquake, I was able to apply for TPS. In TPS, I was able to live my life. Now for the Supreme Court to make its decision, it’s just telling you that your life has no value,” she said.
Larrieux says she is now working with an attorney and applying for asylum.
“But it just, I feel like, again, my life just collapsed because I have to continue to fight for my right to exist and that is very sad,” she added.
Advocates described the prospect of deportations to Haiti as a death sentence, citing the country’s gang violence and deteriorating security situation.
One local employer that could face a direct impact is the Archdiocese of Miami.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski says a significant number of Catholic Health Services employees, including nurses and home health aides, are TPS Haiti recipients.
“This is going to a disruption to our healthcare services - not only ours but through the region and the United States,” he said.
Despite the court’s decision, organizers vowed to continue fighting to protect Haitian immigrants.
“I would say we are not likely going back. We are going to stick together. We are going to keep on fighting,” said Santcha Etienne, of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
Petit echoed that determination.
“The battle is not over,” she said.
James Percival, the Department of Homeland Security’s general counsel, told Local 10 News in a statement, “In our second Supreme Court win of the day, the Court vindicates DHS yet again. The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense.”
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