Haitian community in Berks County impacted by termination of ‘Temporary Protected Status’ | Berks Regional News

BERKS COUNTY, Pa. – Haiti is one of the most recent countries added to a list that terminates citizens’ Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, in the U.S.

The previous Secretary of Homeland Security determined it no longer met the conditions for the designation.

Haiti-native and executive director of the nonprofit organization ‘Bring the Change,’ Alex Civil says the decision is causing a lot of uncertainty.

“I’ve dealt with people who are homeowners now, who already started a family here, and now, yes, the question is, ‘What now?’” said Civil.

“Because just with the stroke of a pen, individuals are no longer able to carry on living the life that they have actually established for themselves,” Civil added.

He says the change affects about 350,000 people in the U.S., who he says have contributed billions to the economy here. On top of that, he says conditions in Haiti remain perilous.

“The U.S. government is encouraging anybody, if there are still Americans in Haiti, to leave the country,” Civil said.

“I think that in itself showcases that it’s not a safe place. Logically, people should not be transported or pushed to ship back to the country; definitely not folks who’ve been here for so many years, not for folks who are taxpayers and fulfilling their duty as good functioning members of society,” Civil added.

He says such people are active contributors to the Berks economy, working as doctors, artists, factory workers, restaurateurs and more.

“The future of the Haitian community here in Berks County does not just impact Haitians; it impacts Berks County as a whole,” Civil said.

“This impacts all of those businesses that we are currently working at and providing service to,” he added.