Haitian temporary protected status to expire Monday
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Temporary protected status for Haitians in the United States is set to expire Monday, leaving many workers in limbo.
What is TPS
TPS allows eligible individuals to live and work legally in the United States when conditions in their home country are considered unsafe.
Haiti first became part of TPS in 2010 after the country’s devastating earthquake.
TPS deadline
The decision to revoke TPS from Haitians came after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reviewed conditions in Haiti and consulted with U.S. agencies, determining the country no longer qualified for Temporary Protected Status, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Last week, a federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS through the weekend and extended it to Monday.
Impacts to Central Florida
While the deadline for Haitian TPS was temporarily extended to Monday, if it does end, workers could lose their legal authorization to work.
“We are already short-staffed inside of a lot of our nursing homes and hospitals as it is right now,” said Darell Butler, an administrative organizer with 1199SEIU. “If TPS ends and all of our brothers and sisters have to get deported, then it’s going to leave our nursing homes and hospitals empty.”