Haitian TPS

About two dozen immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders rallied outside of Senator Ashley Moody’s Palm Beach Gardens office today. They urged her to support a bill extending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians for three more years.

Sunday's ambush and apparent abduction of members of a new international police support force underscore the relentless gang violence that has forced yet another postponement of Haiti's desperately needed elections — and the potentially deadly risks Haitian deportees face.

Florida gubernatorial candidate David Jolly and running mate Gwen Graham addressed deportation fears, affordable housing and economic opportunities during a North Miami campaign stop. ‘I call it Operation Save Florida,’ she said.

But amid TPS disruption, one group of Haitian leaders is turning toward sustainable nation-building as a way to offset the damage and forge long-term stability for their homeland.

Running Thursday through Sunday, the "Days of Action to Restore Haiti TPS" features over 20 coordinated events spanning seven states, including California, Florida, New York, and Massachusetts.

HRW researchers said they visited Cap-Haïtien in the last week of August and interviewed 44 Haitian deportees who had arrived on the first two deportation flights following the end of TPS.

The public radio special being broadcast Thursday, Sept. 17 will examine the impact of the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants in South Florida, Boston, and New York.

They also announced a billboard campaign — one on I-95 in Miami and the other on the Selmon Connector in Tampa — to publicly call on Moody and fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott to protect Haitian immigrants who recently lost Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Tom Homan was pressed by anchor Dana Bash regarding recent Department of Homeland Security flights carrying deportees back to Haiti, including individuals who previously resided in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

The bulk of the decline was in district-run K-12 schools, but charter schools also saw a decrease of nearly 1,000 students.

As Temporary Protected Status ends for many Haitians in the U.S., families are weighing their options, and for some, Canada is part of the conversation.

A new survey, which comes on what may be the eve of mass deportations back to Haiti, finds Haitians see the defeat of gang rule as their priority — but while they reject amnesty for gang members, they say the restoration of security has to happen alongside meaningful investment in education and other institutions to halt Haiti's gang cycle.