A Haitian flag is seen during the Haitian Unity Day in Spring Valley, N.Y., on May 23, 2021.
Rep. Mike Lawler greets Pastor Nate Demosthene, Pastor of First Timothy Christian Church in Spring Valley, New York, and other clergy members, before a news conference at the church July 10, 2025, calling for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.
Dutan Pierre of Spring Valley cries while sitting in his attorney's office July 2, 2025, nearly a month after his son Alan, 20, was arrested by ICE officers, though he was in the United States legally.

L. got a call one recent Friday from a friend, desperate to talk and pleading to meet. She hesitated. She hardly ventures out anymore.

That evening she risked it and for two hours shared slices of cheese pizza and worries. Both are Haitian immigrants whose temporary legal status in the United States is set to expire soon.

Like many Haitians living in America, neither L. nor her friend has decided yet what to do: Return to their tumultuous country, 700 miles from Miami, stay illegally in the United States or relocate to another country altogether.

L., who asked to be identified only by her first initial because of her risk for early deportation, left the pizza shop angry, frustrated, stressed.

“If my country was okay, we wouldn’t be in this situation,’’ she thought.

For at least three years, Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince has been overrun by armed gangs, and political turmoil has extended into many of the Caribbean nation's villages and towns. United Nations officials said in July that the country "nears collapse" and Haitians face a national humanitarian crisis.

L., who has been here for two years, is among the more than 500,000 Haitians in the United States living and working legally in offices, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and factories under a Temporary Protected Status that is soon to disappear.

“I tell myself, ‘Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine,’” said the 32-year-old office worker. “We are living day by day … It’s a hard situation.”

What it means to have temporary status

The U.S. State Department still warns American citizens to stay away from Haiti, "due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care."

But the Trump administration said the situation has improved enough in Haiti that the temporary program is no longer necessary.

Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem ended Haitian TPS effective Sept. 2, though a District Court judge ruled the program has to remain in place until at least Feb. 3, 2026.

Noem said in a statement that allowing Haitians to stay temporarily “is contrary to the national interest” of the United States.

The TPS program provides work permits and protection from deportation for residents of countries in turmoil because of natural or man-made disasters. The program is typically valid for 18 months or two years at a time/ DHS has often extended the protections.

Some Haitians enrolled in the program after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the island and killed hundreds of thousands of people. More recently, Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2021 a month after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated.

Leaders of the House Haiti Caucus argue the situation in Haiti remains far from safe and that the program should be extended or permanent legal status granted to the families, many whom have been in the United States for years and are now part of the fabric of the nation.

“What does it mean to have temporary status when you’ve been part of a community, shaped a community, made formidable contributions to culture, civic life and to our economy for 30 years,’’ said Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts and caucus co-chair. “What is temporary about that? These are neighbors, our coworkers, the people we live, work and worship with.”

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called changes to the program “extremely destabilizing.”

"To have mixed-status families in fear of their loved ones being ripped away and being targeted by ICE, it has really sent a chilling effect throughout our communities,” said Clarke, whose Brooklyn district has a significant Haitian population.

'Folks are not doing well'

Faith leaders and community activists in Brooklyn and elsewhere have been meeting to discuss how to help people decide what to do.

“What are they going home to?" asked Yolette Williams, executive director of The Haitian American Alliance of New York, a nonprofit volunteer organization.

Williams, also a clinical social worker, said people are turning to her organization for help and listeners are calling into a local radio program pleading for answers.

“Folks are not doing well,” she said.

In other Haitian communities across the country, activists have been lobbying lawmakers and holding news conferences and prayer vigils to garner support.

“We have to be able to make noise and speak out against this because it’s really dangerous" in Haiti, said Ruth Jeannoel, founder and director of Fanm Saj, Inc., an organization in Florida that focuses on wellness and community support. "We have to reach the hearts and minds of people."

Haiti Caucus leaders said part of the challenge is getting communities of color to unite around the issue.

“This affects everybody,’’ said Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, adding that in her South Florida district Hispanic and Black residents are often profiled by law enforcement officials. “We had Americans who had to give their papers … So this is a problem for all of us.”

Some Haitians living under TPS aren’t leaving their homes, afraid to go to work, church and school, activists said. Families are weighing their limited options. Some are considering moving to Canada, which has an asylum process for Haitian refugees.

“People are doing a lot of praying,” Williams said. “People are looking for a miracle.”

Weighing options as the clock runs out

L. doesn't want to stay in the United States if she can't live and work here legally.

She thought about returning to Haiti, but friends and family warned against it. Gangs have been spotted near her hometown.

She considered going north to Canada, but she would have to start all over and there is no guarantee she could secure legal status there.

It was hard enough to leave Haiti where she still has family. But with the lack of opportunities and the violence there, relatives encouraged her to stay in the United States.

“It hasn’t been easy … It was hard to leave everything behind, but it was a good move,’’ she said.

L. hasn’t ruled out moving thousands of miles away to a small African country called Benin, which has been welcoming to people of the African diaspora. Benin had been on her list to visit, but she hadn’t planned to make it home.

Few at her job know her dilemma. She doesn’t talk about her status. It’s so stressful, she meditates daily to try to stay calm.

L. knew the program was temporary. But like others, she hoped it would be renewed because conditions in Haiti have only worsened. Now, she has a decision to make.

“I can’t just sit and hope they renew it," she said. “We just need some more time."

Contributing: Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haitians facing 'hard situation' as Trump administration tries to end legal status early

Reporting by Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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