While TPS protections were extended multiple times under both the Obama and Biden administrations, in June 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to end TPS for Haitians, effective Sept. 2 of the same year. 

The termination was temporarily blocked by the U.S. District Court in New York, but the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that lower courts could not block the administration’s decision to scrap TPS, officially ending the program for Haitian, Yemeni, and Syrian immigrants. On Aug. 5, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. confirmed that the court order blocking the termination of TPS for Haiti was no longer in effect.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans warned that the termination of TPS would not only tear families apart but also exacerbate New York City’s hospital staffing crisis, as many Haitian TPS holders work in the healthcare industry as nurses and home health aides.

“Some are afraid to leave their homes because they worry about immigration enforcement. That fear also affects hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home care agencies across our communities. At the same time, federal cuts to healthcare programs are putting even more strain on patients and providers. These decisions don't happen in isolation; they weaken our entire healthcare system,” Hagans said, demanding that Congress and the Trump administration immediately reverse the termination.  

“This choice to end TPS for Haitian immigrants is rooted in racism and hatred, and the effects are far-reaching. This decision doesn't just affect immigrant families; it also affects patients who depend on our healthcare system,” Hagans said.

Returning to Haiti would likely endanger the lives of TPS holders. According to the United Nations, Haiti is facing the most severe humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere. More than 6.4 million people there need humanitarian assistance due to gang violence, kidnappings, civil unrest, a collapsed health care system, and natural disasters.

At the same time, nearly 6 million Haitians face severe food insecurity — Haiti is one of five countries experiencing famine-like conditions. At least 26 gangs control up to 90% of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area, and nearly 1.5 million have been displaced by violence. Since the beginning of the year, more than 2,300 people have been killed due to gang violence, while thousands more have been injured, kidnapped, raped, or trafficked.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who has led multi-state coalitions and legal challenges to defend TPS, reminded the crowd that even the U.S. Department of State has issued a “Do Not Travel " advisory for Haiti.

“Yet hundreds of thousands of Haitians are now facing the loss of the protections that have allowed them to live and work and raise families and serve their communities,” James said. “Children will be separated from their families, and that is something that we should not tolerate. Stripping away their legal status will just tear families apart, devastate our healthcare workforce in this industry, and force people back to a country facing extraordinary instability and violence from gangs that rule Haiti right now.”

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams pointed out that ending TPS was not about public safety, but about “whitening” the country, recalling President Trump’s comment that the only people who needed protections and assistance were white South Africans. The Trump administration has granted refugee status to white South Africans who are allegedly persecuted, though experts say that there is no evidence of racial targeting of white South Africans.

“Meanwhile, we are starting to send people back to countries that we have told Americans they should not travel to. This is the insidiousness that is happening here,” Williams said, urging New Yorkers to educate themselves about their rights, protect their neighbors, and speak up.

“Your silence is complicity. Your silence will not protect you. So we hope all New Yorkers learn the language, get your whistle. We want to make ICE as uncomfortable as possible and make it as difficult as possible for them to do their job. We are asking people to be nonviolent, but don't be silent,” Williams stressed.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso noted that the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation was not only a gut punch to hundreds of thousands of Haitian families who have built their lives in the U.S., but that it also posed a direct threat to the healthcare system, calling on Congress to extend TPS for Haitians immediately.

“Haitian nurses, CNAs, and home health aides provide vital patient care across New York City — stripping their status erodes our healthcare infrastructure and creates worse outcomes for everyone,” he said.

Council Members Alexa Avilés and Mercedes Narcisse vowed to fight for and stand by Haitian immigrant nurses.

“We will always stand in solidarity with our Haitian siblings to make sure that they are protected, they are valued,” Avilés said. “I hope some of those members who enjoy racist policies don't need a little healthcare service because the backbone of that workforce is immigrants, and in particular Haitian workers.”

Narcisse, a registered nurse and Haitian-American, urged Congress to act.

“Stripping TPS from Haitian nationals not only upends their lives, it puts patients at risk by pulling skilled healthcare workers out of a system that is already stretched thin. This decision is cruel, and it is short-sighted,” Narcisse stated.

Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, whose district includes Little Haiti, told Brooklyn Paper that many of her constituents were not leaving their home out of fear, which could trigger an economic crisis.

“You have a lot of TPS holders who have substantially contributed to the economy overall in the U.S., especially in New York, and we have a large concentration of Haitians now who can't go to work, who are afraid to bring their kids to school, and who just are afraid to just live life,” she said. “And so that's [going to cause] a ripple effect on the small businesses that we have, a ripple effect on the education of our kids, and really a ripple effect of potential homelessness.”

Bichotte Hermelyn, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, noted that many Haitians might have to hide because returning to Haiti would be too dangerous.

“Every one of us is actually personally affected; I know I am, and so we're just trying to find ways legally that we can find ways to protect their status, and it might be working with immigration lawyers to see if there's potentially other statuses that they can attain to remain in the U.S.,” Bichotte Hermelyn explained.

Stephanie D. Delia, an immigration lawyer and executive director of Little Haiti BK, urged Haitians to establish an emergency plan, such as the TPS Preparedness Plan, in case they are detained. The plan includes completing guardianship documents and choosing a trusted caregiver who is a U.S. citizen for children; securing important documents such as passports, birth and marriage certificates, TPS application and other immigration records; ensuring access to bank accounts or assets if they are deported; and designating an emergency contact with whom they check in regularly.

Delia also recommended memorizing the phone numbers of emergency contacts and talking to their children about the worst-case scenario.

“You do not want to ask the ICE officer to open your phone for you so that they can give you the contact info,” Delia said. “As far as the children are concerned, if you have young children, please have a conversation with them about who you are going to decide as the person that you are going to trust to care for them. Make sure they understand that one day mommy  and daddy might disappear. It's a hard conversation to have, but it's worse if it's a surprise.”

Delia told Brooklyn Paper that Haitian immigrants can reach out to a variety of organizations for legal advice, including CUNY Citizenship NOW, Make The Road New York, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), Haitian Americans United for Progress, Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees,  Little Haiti BK, or contact their local representative.

“The City Council members' offices, most of them have a rep from CUNY Citizenship NOW directly in there, and several of them have a NYLAG rep too, so they will be able to connect,” Delia said, noting to be careful of bad actors who were trying to exploit vulnerable immigrants.