Jean-Baptiste said that at the current moment, Philadelphia Haitians are “just trying to plan and figure out what’s gonna happen next.”
“I know there’s some people looking at Canada,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I have friends that [have] left to Mexico. There are all these different places. I think they’re just trying to figure out where to go.”
Rachelle Leger, founder of Haitians of Philadelphia, an Instagram account dedicated to connecting Philadelphia’s Haitian community, said many are uncertain about the changes the next day, or even the next hour, could bring. Community members are “keeping their heads down and just honestly just hoping for the best,” Leger said.
“I think most people at this point, they just continue to do what they do, just go to work, take care of family, pay bills, until the moment comes where they can’t.”
The decision to leave involves more than just one person, Leger said. Many Philadelphia Haitians have built lives in the city, owning houses and businesses. Additionally, some have American-born children whose lives they don’t want to disturb.
“There’s nothing structured to go back to,” Leger said. “It would separate families, and the children and whoever will probably end up staying here in the States to continue their education, because that’s really important to Haitian people.”
Jean-Baptiste said the Supreme Court’s ruling is a letdown for people who believe in the American Dream and were optimistic about building a life in the U.S.
“It’s always been the sentiment that, ‘Hey, if you come to the United States, you follow the rules, you have an equal opportunity to make this life for yourself,’” Jean-Baptiste said. “I think all the actions of the state recently have been the total opposite.”
‘We need the support of all Americans’
The deportation of Haitians from the U.S. would have broader international effects, Bernstein-Baker said, deepening economic hardship back in Haiti, where 43% of the population is already under the poverty line, according to the most recent 2025 data from Statista.
“One reason [Haiti] is even surviving is that Haitian people here are sending money back home,” Bernstein-Baker said. “It’s the most effective foreign aid policy, and if they have to go back to Haiti, that’s going to cut off a source of income for hundreds of thousands of people.”
The removal of Haitians from the American workforce would also impact the U.S. economy, as many Haitians work in service industries. In Philadelphia, Haitians play integral roles in fields such as caregiving and agriculture, said Josephys Dafils, founder and executive director of Philadelphia-based organization Haitian-American United For Change.
“Pleasant people, peaceful people, they just want to work,” Dafils said. “They just want to be in a safe place, and they bring their ethic to the workplace to make it a better place here in Philadelphia and beyond. So we need the support of all Americans sustaining and supporting Haitians at this point.”
Jean-Baptiste said it’s frustrating to see the demonization of Haitian people after seeing firsthand the time and money invested in building a life under TPS.
“Watching my mom work two jobs to feed three kids, put them through college, buy a house, pay for that house every month without missing or going overdue any time, and then you turn up the TV or you hear the news, and people are calling Haitians animals, or they’re saying that we’re kind of freeloaders, that we’re taking advantage of whatever, is very frustrating, tiring,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I think it’s belittling us.”
Jean-Baptiste said Philadelphians can support their Haitian and Syrian neighbors by advocating for their rights, connecting them with resources, and, if they are able, helping cover the high costs of immigration services.
“It’s just being there, supporting,” Jean-Baptiste said. “If you have better resources, if you’re able to help out financially, all of those things, really help your fellow Haitians and Syrians.”
While times are uncertain, Haitians know how to persevere, Leger said.
“Haitian people, we’re very resilient, and no matter the situation, we always find a way to come back,” she said.