US must keep temporary protected status for Haitians

On Jan. 12, Haitians around the world paused to remember the lives lost 15 years ago, when a massive earthquake shook the country, killing more than 300,000 people, according to Haiti’s government. That was when the United States first granted a designation of Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants, and it has been repeatedly extended since then.

Close to 500,000 Haitians are now TPS beneficiaries in the United States. Of those, it is estimated that more than 16,000 Haitians have TPS in Massachusetts.

TPS involves an extensive vetting process, and for many who are unable to return home, it is a lifesaving opportunity. Beneficiaries receive protection against deportation and a work permit allowing them to contribute to their communities.

Unfortunately, this month the Trump administration rescinded an extension of TPS for Haitians, so their protections are currently due to expire in August.

For TPS to be extended, the United States must determine whether the conditions in immigrants’ home countries have improved to allow them to return safely. Unfortunately, since 2010 Haiti has been caught in a downward spiral exacerbated by natural disasters, political turmoil, and health crises including cholera and COVID-19.

To make matters worse, then-President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. The resulting leadership vacuum opened the floodgates for gang violence that has terrorized the population, displacing and killing thousands.

Many of the early TPS recipients in the United States had hoped that the situation would quickly improve in Haiti and they would be able to safely return home and continue the rebuilding process. Little did they know what the future held.

The Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston helps immigrants integrate into the social and economic fabric of the United States. Most of the people who fled Haiti and seek services at the institute traveled through jungle terrain to get to the United States, and they faced death throughout their journeys.

Despite the trauma so many endured to get to the United States, most Haitians have been determined to take full advantage of their opportunity to remain here. These workers fill the gaps wherever there is a need in the health care, construction, hospitality, or transportation industries. Often they put aside their pride; the diplomas they received as medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, bankers, educators; and the titles they earned in their home country after years of experience in the field, embracing new challenges with grace and humility.

Some TPS recipients are taking classes at colleges and universities while working long hours to create opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. Some are artists and musicians who share their creativity with others. Many Haitian TPS recipients speak multiple languages and bring with them such a vast array of expertise that employers feel blessed to have them.

The Trump administration’s plan to end TPS for Haitians is deeply troubling. This is not the first time the Department of Homeland Security has tried to end it, and the decision should be reversed. People who have been following the rules, giving their best, and helping to make America such a great country should have a pathway to permanent status. This has been a long road of uncertainty and humiliation for many, and being depicted on national news as unwanted criminals is painful.

From my daily conversations, I know that most Haitians are not losing hope, however. DHS should send an envoy to Haiti to reexamine the conditions on the ground. Any envoy’s report cannot contradict what the whole world has been witnessing.

Moreover, if all TPS recipients were to be sent back to Haiti, who would take care of elderly Americans in nursing homes, drive children to schools, Uber people to work, or cook and clean hotels, hospitals, and other institutions? Who would help in the construction industry? Such a move would adversely affect the US economy and the most vulnerable members of our community.

Massachusetts and the country as a whole cannot afford a mass deportation of TPS recipients. Congress must take steps to renew and extend TPS for Haitians and others from such troubled countries as Venezuela, and it should consider a permanent pathway to citizenship for law-abiding TPS beneficiaries.

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Publish date : 2025-02-28 07:43:00

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