Non-profit and business leaders recently shared how the Haitian community has been impacted since their Temporary Protected Status was revoked July 27.
The Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota church organized the panel to inform its church members and the broader community about the struggles some Haitians face without TPS, and how to provide support.
Panelists included Marlene Berthelot with the St. Petersburg-based group Haitian Mission Par La Foi; Diems Duverlus, a pastor and community organizer who runs the United Neighborhood Community Center; Anthony Baffo, vice president of team member relations at Plymouth Harbor, a resort-style senior community; and Mary Anne Bowie, who is involved in various social justice initiatives at the Sarasota church.
Without protected status, which allowed many Haitians to stay in the country legally, many lost work authorization, their drivers license and access to medical care.
Berthelot, who works directly with Haitian individuals and families affected by the TPS revocation, said some are "basically barricaded in their homes."
"They cannot work. They cannot drive. They're very afraid to even go to Walmart to buy their groceries or what have you," said Berthelot.
Some are forgoing medical care as well, either for themselves or their children. Berthelot said a mother she had encountered was too afraid to take her child, who had a fever, to the doctor.
"That was enough for me there. I said, 'Okay, we're going to take the child to the doctor,'" said Berthelot.
Duverlus said he is hearing similar experiences from people in the community.
"Some of them, they have to take medication every day, and after the last pill drop, they can't get anything else," said Duverlus.
Duverlus and Berthelot said former TPS recipients often come from mixed-status families, meaning their children, spouse, or other family member has U.S. citizenship.
In some cases, they said the parents are too afraid to take their U.S. citizen children to school, which disrupts their education.
"It's been a whole domino effect that's troubled them," said Duverlus.
But even with the hardships some Haitians are facing in the U.S., Duverlus said many of them believe going back to Haiti is not an option.
"We don't have a government, a stable government. We don't have a stable police force. There's no security for the people," said Duverlus.
On June 25, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, giving the president the power to end the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitians and Syrians.
TPS gave vetted individuals temporary protection from deportation and the legal right to work in the United States when their home country was too dangerous to return to due to natural or man-made disasters.
TPS does not offer a direct path to citizenship. Recipients must apply for other forms of relief such as asylum or permanent residence, which have their own requirements.
More than 350,000 Haitian nationals held TPS before the revocation. Florida is home to the largest population of Haitians who once held TPS – more than 158,000 – a majority of whom lived in the southern part of the state.
Some TPS-holders have been in the U.S. for more than a decade. Haiti was first assigned TPS in 2010 after a massive earthquake devastated the country. Since then, presidential administrations, including the first Trump administration, have renewed the designation because of ongoing violence and political upheaval.
The Department of State marked Haiti with the highest travel advisory warning due to crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and limited health care.
If forced to return, some fear they'll be targeted by gangs who will extort them for money.
Armed gangs control about 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince, as well as other parts of the country. Millions struggle to meet daily needs.
"Some of the people we try to deport, they don't even know Haiti," said Duverlus.
Berthelot said her group provides food and other basic necessities to families here in the Tampa Bay Region, but the need is often greater than what she can provide.
The Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota and Church of the Trinity MCC in Manatee County delivers food to immigrant families in need.
Sarasota church leaders said they are working to expand deliveries to Haitian families as well.
The panel Q&A also touched on the economic impact of revoking TPS.
Haitian TPS holders helped fill a critical need in the caregiving industry. Around 21,000 Haitians on TPS worked as caregivers or nursing assistants across the country, according to reports by the Boston Globe and Americans for Immigrant Justice, and cited by Politifact.
In South Florida, where Haitian TPS recipients were most concentrated, their absence can be felt more acutely.
Baffo, who is with the Plymouth Harbor retirement community, said about 40% of his workforce is foreign born.
The company's Cultural Bridge Program has provided financial and legal services to those workers, including paying for fees related to USCIS, the agency that handles lawful immigration including employment-based visas.
Baffo said a few employees have had to leave his organization because they lost work authorization. He said employers cannot keep those people on without breaking the law, and that some companies may be afraid to speak out on the issue even if they lose a portion of their team.
Baffo said companies might "fear that we put a target or a red flag on the front door of our building that invites the ICE agents in, that invites people to come in and ask for identification."
He said Plymouth Harbor and other companies in the aging services industry try to have a voice with larger lobbying organizations such as Leading Age.
Contacts for:
Haitian Mission Par La Foi: parlafoi@aol.com
United Neighborhood Community Center: kingdomaddict76@gmail.com
Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota: Food for Our Neighbors
