After the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s decision to terminate protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians residing in the United States, the impact of this decision is being felt around the country. Haitians are losing jobs and freedoms as they face the end of their legal status in the U.S. and the threat of mass deportation.
Haitians lose NYC jobs after Trump cancels TPS designation
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Friday that the city was terminating the employment of Haitians working for the city who had lost their Temporary Protected Status designation. In a statement, Mamdani explained that “the City of New York was forced by federal law, as recently decided by the Supreme Court, to review the work authorization of Haitian T.P.S. holders and separate from any employees who have not established alternative paths to legal work.” Mamdani pledged in the statement that “the City will do everything in its power to support TPS recipients in this time of incredible instability,” such as pursuing alternative work authorizations or accessing healthcare, and he urged President Trump to restore TPS protections for Haitians. The New York Times notes that the number of people losing their public New York City jobs will be at least dozens and possibly hundreds.
The situation in New York City reflects the larger impact of the TPS decision on Haitians around the country. As Blavity previously reported, the Trump administration has reportedly worked on plans for large-scale immigration enforcement against Haitians after the Supreme Court ruled in July that President Trump had the power to unilaterally remove Temporary Protected Status for any country on the TPS list. The TPS designation creates a list of countries facing major crises such as natural disasters or political instability and offers the opportunity for people from listed countries to live and work in the United States while conditions remain unsafe in their home nations. Trump has long sought to remove Haiti from the TPS list, and during the 2024 presidential campaign he and vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate, helped spread vicious, racist rumors about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. Trump’s order to remove Haiti from the TPS list was challenged in federal court and by members of Congress, with the Supreme Court ultimately siding with the president.
ICE monitoring Haitians as plans for mass deportations remain unclear
Now that TPS has officially been revoked for Haitians, as well as a smaller group of Syrians in the United States, members of these communities face monitoring and possible deportation at the hands of agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration has come under pressure from its anti-immigrant supporters to move against Haitians. So far, ICE has mainly focused on the Haitian community in Springfield. Multiple videos, many attributed to FreedomNews.tv, have been circulating on social media of Haitians in the United States being fit with ankle monitors during ICE check-ins. One video shows several Haitians in Ohio displaying their ICE monitors, including a pregnant woman who was fitted with a monitor on her wrist instead of her ankle.
A second video shows another Haitian man in Ohio discussing the ankle monitor with which he has been fitted; the man claims to have been fired from his job despite having a valid work permit because his employer was concerned about the appearance of the monitor.
In a third video, a Haitian man collapses to the ground and weeps as a news crew attempts to interview him after he was fitted with an ICE monitor.
For now, Haitians in Springfield, New York City and elsewhere are living in a state of limbo, with many of them losing employment opportunities and being monitored by ICE. With the prospect of mass deportations looming, the Trump administration’s policies are creating fear and chaos for Haitians and for the communities in which they live.