Protections remain for Haitian immigrants for now while waiting on lower courts
Protections for Haitian immigrants will temporarily remain in place.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in guidance posted July 1 that Haitian immigrants covered by Temporary Protected Status will keep their status and employment authorization, and their documentation will remain valid temporarily while waiting for lower court cases to align with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week.
That 6-3 decision, which came out June 25, found that the Trump administration has full authority to end Temporary Protected Status.
TPS is the legal way more than 300,000 Haitians came to the U.S.
The program has historically had bipartisan support. It created a pathway for vetted immigrants to come to the U.S. from countries designated as unsafe because of violence or disasters.
Fears of ‘humanitarian crisis’
An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians live in the Springfield area. When documents for TPS-holders do eventually expire, it is expected to have a large impact on the region.
“I’m afraid that can lead to a humanitarian crisis,” said Rose-Thamar Joseph, operation director for the Springfield Haitian Support Center, speaking to WYSO last week. She was an event in downtown Springfield on June 25, where residents gathered to advocate for Haitians with TPS in the wake of the ruling.
She said no group in Springfield is financially prepared to handle this crisis. She said clients and her friends are anxious.
“They are asking what they are going to do or they will they be able to feed their family if they don’t have any work permit. Parents get apprehended, because if they were at work and ICE takes them, they won’t be able to go home and have their kids with them,” Joseph said. “But we don’t have the answer for now.”
Joseph’s TPS is connected to her asylum application. Thus, she has some protection at this time.
Jethro Jean is a client of the Haitian Support Center and was also in attendance at the event. In 2017, he moved to Springfield on TPS.
He has a job and has built a comfortable life. While he doesn’t know what he’ll do next, he enjoyed the rally and appreciated the outpouring of support from people who don’t even know him.
“We’re not alone. We got people who stand with us and I really like it,” Jean said.
Advocates urge TPS holding immigrants to seek counsel from an immigration attorney to explore possible visa options and asylum.
Meanwhile some Springfield churches may designate themselves as sanctuary locations. They and other nonprofits are accepting donations of all kinds.