Several Haitian American community advocates condemned the abolition of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitian immigrants and called on the U.S. Senate to support measures towards their permanent citizenship.
"We knew a long time ago that Haitians needed a more permanent status in the United States because of our situation in Haiti," said Tessa Petit, Florida Immigrant Coalition's executive director.
Petit was among several Haitian American community leaders who spoke Monday at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex during a press conference organized by the National Haitian Elected Officials Network.
The press conference was held just after the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 ruling to allow the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria through TPS, exposing hundreds of thousands of immigrants to potential deportation.
READ MORE: South Florida leaders, Democrats urge US Senate action after high court ruling on Haitian TPS
The decision overturns lower court orders and allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status, a program that protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries.
The court’s conservative majority found that the law doesn’t allow courts to question the process that immigration authorities use to revoke the protections.
The decision immediately affects about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters, civil strife and other instability. It allows people already in the country to stay with work permits in increments of up to 18 months, but it does not provide a path to citizenship.
Haitians were first granted TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake and extended them multiple times amid ongoing gang violence that has displaced more than a million people, according to court documents.
With TPS dissolving, advocates are urging Floridians to call on their senators to support S. 4814, which would reinstate the residency status for Haitians as well as permanent paths for U.S. citizenship.
“Congress has both the authority and the moral responsibility to provide meaningful relief and lasting protections for Haitian families who have lived, worked, paid taxes, raised children, and strengthened our communities for years,” said Thamara Labrousse, executive director of Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center.
Haitian American leaders emphasized that the high court's decision threatens the lives of Haitian Americans, who cannot safely return to violence-torn Haiti, a Caribbean country overrun by gangs.
“ Haiti today is experiencing severe instability. Armed groups control large parts of the capital. Over a million people are displaced. Basic systems like healthcare, education, and public safety are under extreme strain,” said Santra Denis, current chairwoman of the Haitian American Professionals Coalition and executive director of the Miami Workers Center. “ It is the country we love, but loving Haiti does not mean denying its reality.”
New statistics released by the U.N. this month reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced.
The ruling also threatens the status for other immigrants who rely on those legal status protections, activists and lawyers warn. They also worry that as Haitian workers lose their rights, the ruling will endanger all workers’ rights.
“ Harsh immigration policies do not protect workers. They make exploitation easier, they drive down the wages, and they weaken protections for everyone,” said Andy Cabrera, district leader for 32BJ SEIU in Florida. “This is not a Haitian issue. This is an American issue.”
Cabrera and several other speakers also noted the integral role that Haitians play in South Florida’s economy and culture, especially considering that the region is home to one of the largest Haitian diaspora in the country.
“ They're people who've worked lawfully. They've paid taxes, supported local economies, and strengthened communities across this country,” said Vanessa Joseph, chair of the National Haitian Elected Officials Network. “It's going to affect our schools, our churches, our healthcare systems, our caregiving networks, our local economies, and certainly our entire communities.”
The uncertainty and fear is already palpable in the Haitian community, as families reel with the implications of the ruling, and how they proceed with their lives. Activists say this fear is all the more reason to push for increased legal residency protections for Haitians.
“[Families] are asking, ‘Will I lose my job? Is it safe for my children to go back to school? Will I be separated from my children? How will I pay my mortgage? What happens with my driver's license, my work permit, my future?’” said Labrousse. “These are not abstract questions. These are urgent survival questions. The immediate need right now is very, very clear.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
