For Farah Larrieux, the news arrived not through a formal document, but via an emotional phone call with a friend late Monday night.
After years of living under a cloud of uncertainty, the Haitian immigrant and South Florida community leader finally felt a moment of reprieve when she learned a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from terminating a special immigration program for Haitians.
"I start screaming, screaming... I start also crying," Larrieux told WLRN, describing the moment a colleague from the Miramar Haitian-American Residents and Business Owners Association broke the news. "It was a historical moment, an emotional moment. We are happy."
READ MORE: 'A step toward justice': Florida Immigration Coalition applauds judge's favorable Haiti TPS ruling
Larrieux, who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, is one of about 100,000 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, in South Florida. There are 350,000 nationwide.
The Trump administration announced in late November it was ending TPS for Haitians — despite reports from organizations like the United Nations that say conditions inside Haiti are as unsafe as they've ever been.
For Larrieux, Monday night's favorable ruling by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wasn't just a legal victory; it was a stay of execution for her way of life.
The days leading up to the ruling had been grueling. Had the court not intervened, her legal permission to live and work in the U.S. would have ended Tuesday.
The judge’s decision, however, offers only temporary safety while the lawsuit proceeds.
She's already facing the practical fallout of an immigration system in limbo for Haitians.
For example, Larrieux said her driver’s license — as a TPS holder — expired on Tuesday. So now she has the legal right to stay in the U.S., but potentially no legal way to drive to her job.
With the new court ruling, it’s unknown when states will let TPS holders renew their license at DMVs.
Larrieux views the Trump administration's actions not as standard policy, but as "cruelty," and she is urging her community to remain on high alert.
"Even though we feel a sense of relief, we have to remain vigilant because we don't know what's gonna happen in the next couple of days or weeks," she said.
TPS can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary if conditions in home countries are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangers. Much of Haiti is ruled by violent gangs, and TPS advocates insist the country is still too dangerous to return to.
While TPS grants holders the right to live and work in the U.S., it does not provide a legal pathway to citizenship.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
