ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of Haitian families in Central Florida are living in fear, waiting to see how a court battle will play out over a Trump administration policy that could open the doors to deport many of them.
A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. government cannot take away Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, from over 300,000 Haitians who have asylum in the United States. Analysts said the Trump administration could appeal the ruling.
Maggie St. Jean is the founder of the Daily Bread Distribution Center in Orange County. For the last 26 years, she has been helping Central Florida families who need help with food. St. Jean said many of the people she helps are Haitian families in the United States with Temporary Protected Status.
“They are on pins and needles. You know, they can’t breathe,” she said. “They’re afraid to open their doors. They are afraid to (go) grocery shopping. They are afraid to go anywhere. It’s terrible.”
St. Jean said families are afraid because the Trump administration is trying to cancel Temporary Protected Status for Haitians across America, which could lead to deportation for thousands of families.
“For now, it could be Haitians. Tomorrow, it could be you. If you’re not born here, it could be you,” St. Jean said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants TPS to people living in the United States if it is too dangerous for them to return to their country because of natural disasters or political instability. The Trump administration said TPS was granted to Haiti in 2010 after a huge earthquake, but it was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program.
Jean Ais works with St. Jean’s team. He takes food to the homes of over 100 families each week, and many of them are Haitians using TPS status to live in Central Florida.
“They’re scared right now,” he said. “They don’t come in. Most of them, I carry food for them to the house, but they don’t go to the church. They don’t go anywhere.”
Families at the Haitian Consulate in Orlando on Tuesday were getting help with passports and immigration questions. Officials at the consulate told Spectrum News they have no comment about Monday’s federal court ruling preventing the Trump administration from canceling TPS for Haitians.
Violent gangs continue to control large areas of Haiti, and they have expanded their control over the last four years. Many Haitians fear they could be killed if they return to the island.
“It’s super dangerous,” St. Jean said. “If an American doesn’t want to go to Haiti, think about anyone else.”
St. Jean said that during this challenging time, she will continue to help her neighbors get food and overcome their fears.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2025 revoked Temporary Protected Status for nine countries, clearing the way for more than one million immigrants to potentially be deported.