Haitian TPS holders face uncertainty after last-minute extension

On Jul 11, 2026

MIAMI — Norah Massenet had already talked with her team about the possibility that a recent day at work could be her last.

Massenet, a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holder with a work permit, now gets to stay at her job for a couple more weeks after an extension was granted for Haitian nationals.

TPS for Haitian and Syrian nationals in the U.S. was set to end Friday. At the last minute, an extension was granted until July 24 for Haitian nationals only.

“It’s really hard,” Massenet said. “And a lot of people don’t really fully understand it because they’re not in that position. But being in it, it’s like holding on to your breath and not never knowing when you’ll be able to take that gasp of air again for relief.”

Massenet came to the United States when she was 4 years old. The 30-year-old said she earned a master’s degree while on TPS and is currently helping pay for her sister’s Ph.D. degree.

“There are those of us who are actually, you know, law-abiding citizens who are living, productive lives in society that do deserve a chance,” Massenet said. “And that should be given a pathway to citizenship or some type of permanent solution.”

Two 22-year-old twin sisters, who are not being named, also face uncertainty. They were comfortable showing their faces.

The sisters came to the U.S. with their parents when they were 2 years old. Their family, except for a younger sibling, are all TPS holders.

For them, returning to Haiti with the current situation in the capital is unimaginable.

“The only thing I know of my parents, my dad told me my auntie had a wedding in Haiti. We were little, so I don’t remember much, but I was running around,” one of the sisters said. “Yeah. That’s all I remember about Haiti.”

The sisters said their family came to the U.S. to build a better future.

“We came here specifically to just provide more for our people and also for American people,” they said. “So, yeah, we’re hard workers. So I would say like to just give us a chance to be able to fulfill our dreams.”

Their attorney, Frandley Julien, is working on possible solutions to help the sisters stay.

Julien said the sisters qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. He said the administration is accepting new DACA applications following litigation, although they are not being adjudicated yet.

“Fortunately for these two young women, they qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA),” Julien said. “It’s a good thing for them to have that pending application.”

Julien said he is working with clients who are waiting to see what happens over the next two weeks.

“Ending TPS with such an impressive roster of young people, sending such an impressive roster of young people back to Haiti is counterproductive, it’s un-American,” Julien said. “It’s myopic, and we really hope that the administration will realize that it’s not in the interest of the United States to do so.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services listed extensions for several other countries, including Syria and Egypt, through July 17. Haiti is the only country with an extension through July 24.

There are different cases among TPS holders. Some people may have no choice but to leave, while others are looking for solutions before the July 24 deadline.

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