After a successful collaboration last year, three powerhouse public media stations — WNYC in New York City, GBH News in Boston and WLRN in South Florida — will reunite for a second edition of “Haiti On The Line,” a live call-in broadcast special.
Haitians were first granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2010, in the wake of a devastating earthquake. TPS allowed Haitians to stay safely and be authorized to work in the U.S. Due to the ongoing political and humanitarian crises in Haiti, this status was repeatedly extended until recently.
The Trump administration, however, has been deporting hundreds of Haitian immigrants since winning a legal battle in federal court this summer to end TPS for about 350,000 Haitians, including 158,000 in Florida, most of whom live in South Florida. TPS for Haitians ended July 27.
Activists have warned that Haiti is currently too dangerous and doesn’t have enough resources to help those being deported to a country of nearly 12 million people, of which more than half need humanitarian assistance because of surging gang violence and deepening poverty, hunger and violence.
The special will explore what this means for the people and businesses directly impacted by the end of TPS and its broader consequences.
GBH News in Boston, WNYC in New York City, and WLRN in Miami, representing the three cities with the largest Haitian populations in the United States, will take a deep dive into this issue, speaking with experts and taking calls from listeners directly affected by these changes in immigration laws.
"This broadcast brings together our three regions to address a crucial moment for Haitian communities across the country," said Caitie Muñoz, WLRN's Director of Daily News & Original Live Programming. "By uniting our newsrooms, we are giving voice to local families, healthcare workers, and business owners directly navigating the aftermath of TPS termination."
WNYC's Brian Lehrer and GBH's Paris Alston will host the program. They will be by special guests and experts on the situation, including:
- Tim Padgett, Americas Editor of WLRN
- Frandley Julien, Haitian immigration lawyer
- Vania André, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Haitian Times.
Listeners can call in during the broadcast to share their stories at 1-844-745-TALK (8255).
“Haiti On The Line” will air on WNYC 93.9FM, AM 820 and www.wnyc.org in New York; GBH 89.7FM and gbhnews.org in Boston, and connecting the Commonwealth on WCAI 90.1FM on the Cape and Islands and NEPM 88.5FM in western Massachusetts.
In Miami, it will be carried by WLRN 91.3FM and wlrn.org.
The special broadcast will also be available to stream on-demand at wnyc.org and on YouTube.
For more information, click here.
