Officials conduct know your rights outreach in Little Haiti
Immigrant advocates are canvassing Little Haiti to inform Haitian immigrants about their rights as Temporary Protected Status protections end for thousands of people in the five boroughs.
About a dozen volunteers, alongside City Councilwoman Farah Louis and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, visited local businesses to reach people directly affected by the loss of TPS.
The group stopped at hair salons, hardware stores and ice cream shops, sharing information and resources with the community.
“They’re all living in fear, uncertainty. They feel isolated and they feel like they are not wanted by their own municipality,” Louis said.
“This is a sanctuary city and a city like New York should be welcoming immigrants, and they feel that Haitians are singled out. They feel like there wasn’t much resistance to stand up for the Haitian people,” Bichotte Hermelyn said.
For some volunteers, the effort was personal.
“It’s a stressful situation, and so we come out to help people and to support them, to know they are here to stay. And this is their country now,” said Lesley Pierre, a Haitian immigrant and volunteer.
Michaella Blemur, whose parents immigrated from Haiti, said she understands how difficult it can be for immigrant families to navigate life in the United States.
“Both of my parents immigrated from Haiti, and growing up and witnessing all the challenges they had to face — English not being their first language, having an accent, experiencing challenges in the workplace — I know how easy it is to feel helpless,” Blemur said.
The Trump administration earlier this year determined that Haiti no longer met the conditions for TPS, arguing that the federal program was intended to be temporary. The decision was challenged in federal court, but a judge ruled that the protections could be terminated.
The canvass is one of several efforts organized by immigrant advocacy groups, including the New York Immigration Coalition, as Haitian immigrants lose TPS protections and concerns grow over increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in New York City.
“We’ve seen what ICE has done across this country, and we know that they are lawless and rogue,” said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
Awawdeh said there are an estimated 40,000 Haitian TPS holders in New York City. The loss of their status has left many without jobs and uncertain about what comes next.
“They are the nurses in our hospitals. The construction workers who are making sure our homes are being built, repairs are happening. And the Trump administration is just constantly sowing more panic, chaos and fear,” Awawdeh said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been in direct conversations with President Donald Trump about renewing TPS for Haitians or granting them another form of legal status.