NYC officials call on Trump administration to stop TPS rollback for Haitians
Elected officials in New York City are standing alongside the local Haitian community to push back on the Trump administration's rollback of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
The administration is ending the deportation protection extension for over 500,000 Haitian Americans as the island nation faces a humanitarian crisis.
"For decades the TPS system has been exploited and abused. For example, Haiti has been designated for TPS since 2010. The data shows each extension of the country's TPS designation allowed more Haitian nationals, even those who entered the U.S. illegally, to qualify for legal protected status," the Department of Homeland Security said when they announced the rollback of TPS status.
Homeland Security said an estimated 57,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS protections as of 2011 but by July 2024, that number had climbed to 520,694.
According to New York City's Office of Immigrant Affairs, there are about 15,000 New Yorkers who have TPS, and 5,400 of them – more than one-third – are Haitian. Data shows TPS holders generate $260 million to the city's economy every year.
"This is not about policy, it's about cruelty"
City leaders are calling on Congress and the Trump administration to reverse the decision. Immigration advocates and elected officials, several of whom are Haitian New Yorkers, stood together at City Hall on Thursday.
"If you come for Haiti, you have to come for all of us," said Robert Agyemang, with the New York Immigration Coalition.
"Make no mistake, this is not about policy, it's about cruelty," New York City Councilmember Farah Louis said.
"Everybody's scared. People are not going to school. It's anxiety that we have," New York City Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse said.
"Emotionally, it's hard," immigration attorney Stephanie Delia said.
"It's almost as if they're trying to criminalize certain communities for even existing," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
"From here, we're calling on Congress for support. We're calling on state and city to provide funding to our nonprofit organizations. Everyone deserves due process. Everybody needs representation," Louis said.
Wednesday, CBS News New York's Jennifer Bisram went to Brooklyn's Little Haiti, where streets and businesses were deserted.
"There's rumors stating that [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] are coming to the church to pick them up. Because of that, they stay home," said Rev. Leslie Thomas, a minister with Church of God in Harlem. "Those that who come to church, what we're doing, we tell them to believe, to pray."
In the meantime, immigration advocates say they're been holding more virtual "Know Your Rights" sessions for people scared of leaving their homes.
