Angst is brewing nationwide among the Haitian community despite a federal judge’s ruling that extends their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan’s ruling comes after the Trump administration said it would roll back the Biden-era TPS extension from February 2026 to Aug. 3, 2025. However, the judge ruled that the administration had overstepped its authority and extended the status for Haitians until 2026.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claims that conditions in Haiti have improved, even though a recent report from the United Nations found that Haiti is just as dangerous for children as the Gaza Strip.
Even with the extension, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is doubling down that deportations will begin in September, causing both fear and anxiety for Haitians in South Florida.
“It’s difficult, heartbreaking,” a woman, whose identity is unidentified, told CBS News. The woman has lived in South Florida for a decade. Her father was killed in Haiti, and her mother, who is now deceased, helped to bring her to the United States.
She adds, “It’s been hell. Can I drive? Can I go to work?”
TPS For The Haitian Community Remains Uncertain
TPS is a humanitarian immigration program that allows foreign nationals from designated countries facing unsafe conditions to
live and work in the United States. Some of the conditions include natural disasters, armed conflict, or extraordinary instability that prevent nationals from safely returning. TPS does not provide a path to lawful permanent residency.According to the Miami Herald, there are an estimated 521,000 Haitian nationals living in the U.S. under TPS. Many have lived in the United States for years.
President Barack Obama first designated Haiti for TPS following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake near the capital of Port-au-Prince. The quake killed more than 300,000 people and wreaked havoc on the country’s infrastructure. TPS for Haitians has been repeatedly renewed due to chronic instability, gang violence, economic collapse, and the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Beyond South Florida, which is the heartbeat of Haitian culture in the United States, other communities nationwide remain cautiously optimistic. In central Pennsylvania, a pastor of a Haitian church says that while he is relieved by Judge Cogan’s ruling, the decision still falls short of broader protections from deportation.
“(T)his decision also raises pressing questions about what will happen after February 2026,” Pastor Roussel Costume of First Haitian Christian Assembly in Enola told Pennlive. “As much as we rejoice today, many in our community remain deeply concerned about the future.”
Leonie Hermantin of the Haitian Neighborhood Center told CBS News that some families are packing up and relocating to countries such as Canada and Brazil.
“Returning to Haiti is not an option because we know the situation is worsening. It’s not a place for those with children to return,” she said.
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