On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians, affecting the nearly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians currently living in the U.S. under this protection.
TPS provides temporary lawful immigration status to migrants who cannot return to their war- or disaster-torn countries. Haiti is one of these countries, with the United Nations estimating that at least 26 gangs control up to 90 percent of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas.
These groups have been fomenting terror among Haitians through violence, executions, extortion, kidnappings for ransom, and by preventing commerce by blocking the free flow of goods. Since the beginning of the year, gang violence has left more than 2,300 people dead.
The Trump administration, however, has pushed for the termination of TPS for Haitians since November 2025, arguing they’ve overextended their time in America.
“Temporary means temporary, when the condition of a country gets better, they need to go home,” said Border Czar Tom Homan in a Florida press conference the day the decision was made. “There are lines of people waiting to be in the greatest country on earth.”
South Florida Haitian community imperiled
Florida is home to nearly half of Haiti’s TPS immigrants, and their communities are heavily involved in economic, social, and religious life. LeGrand Salvant is a deacon at the Haitian Christian Church in West Palm Beach, and he has seen a decline in regulars even before the TPS ruling.
“People have left because Florida is not a sanctuary state anymore,” said Salvant. “The community is not at ease; everybody is on edge.”
Salvant also translates immigration documents from English to Creole/French for Haitian immigrants and asylum seekers. He has seen less customers for that as well, not only due to the uncertainty with TPS designations, but with the administration’s slow turnaround for approving or rejecting residency and asylum applications.
“This administration has put everything on hold for a long time,” said Salvant. “We can fill out our papers but they are not going to act on it. They don’t even send a notice that they used to send [confirming they] have received [the papers].”
In regards to Haiti’s security, the U.S. State Department has the country on a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory due to crime, civil unrest, and terrorism. Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin explained to CNN that the advisory is targeted toward Americans, not Haitians, as U.S. visitors are more likely to be held for ransom.
“[There is] a contradiction between saying, ‘I am not going to let our people [Americans] travel because it’s dangerous,’ and then saying it’s okay to send TPS people back,” said Salvant.
TPS’s Background
Haiti’s original TPS designation stemmed from a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010. The protection was meant to serve for only 18 months, but the Obama and Biden administrations kept renewing the license due to worsening infrastructural and governmental conditions in the country. Trump attempted to terminate Haiti’s TPS status in various points during his first term, but federal courts challenged his decisions every time.
During Trump’s current term, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem moved to terminate Haitians’ TPS in February but the decision was blocked by U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes, who argued the administration was motivated at least in part by racial prejudice against Haiti, a majority Black country. The judge echoed President Trump’s remarks during his 2024 campaign that Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
The Supreme Court last week ruled that Reyes overstepped her authority by stopping TPS’s termination, declaring that only the Department of Homeland Security has broad discretion in determining the program’s fate.
Paths to Citizenship
While TPS beneficiaries aren’t provided with a lawful, clear path to citizenship, they can apply for that status if eligible.
Generally, a person who enters the U.S. without inspection is not eligible to apply for permanent residence. In order to gain permanent resident status, a TPS recipient who initially entered the country without inspection must depart the country to have a visa processed at a consular post. Contacting an immigration lawyer will always provide a safer and more informed path toward citizenship.
Starting on July 1, Haitians in the country under TPS will now have to prove their legal residency or face possible deportation. Salvant questions not only the human cost of the court’s decision, but its ripple effects on the economy.
“I agree that temporary is temporary, however, you have to see the human side of it,” said Salvant. “[Haitians] are working, contributing $6 billion in the economy, paying $1.5 billion in taxes, so what is the U.S. going to do to replace the 22,000 cooks and servers providing meals daily in this country? Or the 9,000 [drivers] that deliver 900,000 parcels daily?”
