Sioux Falls ministry prays as mandate forces Haitian doctor back to Haiti ‘kill zone’

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -A local ministry is turning to prayer and faith after a federal immigration shift forced a sponsored Haitian physician and his family to return to their gang-threatened homeland.

Haiti Alive, a Sioux Falls-based nonprofit organization that builds homes and schools in Haiti, originally sponsored Dr. William and his wife—also a physician—after they were targeted by local gangs.

“They say if you’re working in this program, you are a rich guy,” William said, noting that his profession put him and his wife directly on a gang kidnapping list.

The family originally found safety in South Dakota under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a federal designation that allows foreign nationals to live and work in the U.S. when extraordinary conditions, such as natural disasters or civil unrest, make safe return impossible.

“Temporary protected status is usually based on something immediate and dangerous happening in that country,” said immigration expert Taneeza Islam. “It doesn’t rise to the level of being able to apply for asylum or being a refugee.”

To secure their safety, local supporters stepped in. “We had to sponsor them, so they have a connection and a sponsorship here,” said Bruce Blumer, a representative with Haiti Alive.

However, following the federal cancellation of Haiti’s TPS designation, by then DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the family lost their work permits. Dr. William was forced to return to Haiti, where the security situation remains unchanged.

The threats and roadblocks are immediate. “Every 20 miles we’re gonna be stopped by someone,” William said of the journey home. “We’re gonna check your ID to find out who you are, if you are a person of interest.”

The decision to terminate the protections has drawn sharp criticism from advocates who point to the U.S. government’s own assessment of the region.

“It’s interesting because the U.S. State Department has a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning to Haiti,” Islam noted.

The severe danger was echoed on the international stage by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who described the situation in Haiti’s capital to the UN Security Council on July 20, 2026.

“They have literally turned entire neighborhoods, an entire city, the capital Port-au-Prince, into a kill zone,” Waltz said of the armed gangs.

For sponsors in South Dakota, the federal clawback of protections undermines the core purpose of the humanitarian program.

“I understand that the temporary protected status was meant to be temporary, but it’s also to protect those people that are living in places that are incredibly dangerous,” Bruce said.

“God has a plan for me,” Dr. William said. “So I believe in him.”

As he navigates his forced return to a volatile homeland, Dr. William says he is relying on his spiritual foundation.