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‘Very anxious and very nervous’: Boston’s Haitian organizations gear up for rollback of TPS protections
Thousands of Haitian immigrants in Massachusetts will be impacted by the Trump administration's crackdown.
Thousands of Haitian immigrants in Massachusetts will be impacted by protection cuts by the Trump administration.
The Biden administration granted Temporary Protected Status to Haitians living in the United States, permitting them to stay in the country until next February. Trump’s order cuts the deadline to this August.
The move, signed on Feb. 20 by homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, is one of the latest moves from the administration in its immigration crackdown in the U.S.
Massachusetts has over 80,000 Haitian people living in the state, the second-highest population in the U.S. behind Florida, according to World Population Review.
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Over 4,700 immigrants in Massachusetts have TPS, according to the International Institute of New England. Jeff Thielman, president and CEO of IINE, said TPS was built to give people sanctuary while their countries were in “chaos and turmoil” and they could not go back home.
“A lot of clients are very, very anxious and very nervous,” Thielman said. “It is very disturbing and troubling and disheartening to see the president take this action.”
Gang violence in Haiti has killed over 5,600 people in the past year and left over 1 million people homeless in recent years, according to the Associated Press. In recent reports, as many as 6,000 people were displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area this month.
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Dieufort Fleurissaint, a pastor and the president and executive director for the True Alliance Center, said some families have been in the U.S. for years — the U.S. started granting protected status to Haitian nationals in 2010 — and have children in the local school systems. He said the move is “traumatic” and “emotional” for these families.
“I classify this as very cruel, inhumane, and unjust,” Fleurissaint said.
Marline Amedee, CEO and co-founder of Haitian Community Partners, said the organization has gotten over 20 calls every day from those with TPS to ask for services and guidance since the order took effect.
Haitian Community Partners provides legal resources and partners with other local organizations to advocate for its members.
“As we all know, [Trump] made a promise, and he has to deliver on his promise because that’s why people voted during his campaign,” Amedee said.
Meanwhile, some supporters of the president’s crackdown applauded the move. “They knew what it was when they came here. It says right on it, temporary. It was temporary, and the temporary is over,” Louis Murray, chairman of Bostonians Against Sanctuary Cities, told Boston 25. “They can take their savings and their new skills and help rebuild Haiti.”
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Mirian Albert, a senior attorney for Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the organization has close ties with the Haitian community in Boston and the issue is “very close to our hearts.” She said the firm is exploring legal options for those with TPS protection.
“Not only are [these actions] not allowed under the law, but they are also painted and driven by racial and national origin discrimination rather than legitimate policy considerations,” Albert said.
Albert said that sending Haitian people back to their country of origin, which she described as having “widespread violence and political instability,” would hurt the U.S. economy by eliminating workers who have contributed for years.
Amedee said the issue does not only come from the Republican party — but “both parties have a role to play in the situation right now.” She said both parties need to take responsibility and come up with solutions to make the path to immigration easier and accommodate more migrants.
“I think we as a community, we need to stand with one voice and work together to make sure we tell both parties that we are here and we are watching them, and make sure that they do what is right for the migrant community,” Amedee said.
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