Haitian Community Responds To Loss Of Temporary Protected Status

FLORIDA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST HAITIAN POPULATION IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO WORLD POPULATION REVIEW OVER 360,000 HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS LIVE IN OUR STATE WITH THE ELIMINATION OF TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS. HAS SOME HAITIANS VOICING CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE, WGCU’S SAMUEL BRUCKER SPEAKS WITH A BROTHER AND A SISTER IN IMMOKALEE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES. >> HAITIAN TPS HAS EXPIRED ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER COUNTRIES UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, IS A TEMPORARY HOME TO MORE THAN 27,000 HAITIANS MAINLY LIVING IN LEE AND COLLIER COUNTIES. A PSEUDONYM TO PROTECT HIS IS ONE OF THEM. HE SAYS THE COUNTRY IS DANGEROUS AND IS OVERRUN BY GANG VIOLENCE, MAKING IT UNSAFE. >> YEAH, THIS IS DUE TO >> YEAH, THEY PERSECUTING ME. THEY WANTED ME TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM TO BE ONE OF THEM. BUT I DID NOT GET INVOLVED. SOMETIMES THEY WANT YOU TO BE A LIKE THEM TO GET INVOLVED IN THE WRONGDOINGS. I DID NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED BY THE EU. >> HE CAME TO THE U.S. IN 2006 LEAVING BEHIND A WIFE AND 7 CHILDREN SEEKING ASYLUM AND WAS DENIED UNTIL 2010 WHEN HE WAS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR TPS AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE STRUCK HAITI. IT LEFT INFRASTRUCTURE DECIMATED. >> THE I LEFT THE COUNTRY A LONG TIME AGO. NOW IT IS WORSE. IT IS NO GOOD. NO GOOD GANGS EVERYWHERE. THEY'RE KILLING PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE GET KILLED C. >> WHILE HE WORKED, HE WOULD SEND HOME FOOD AND MONEY ALONGSIDE HIS SISTER ROSE ALSO SPEAKING ANONYMOUSLY. BUT NOW HE CAN'T. HE LIVES WITH HIS SISTER WHILE SHE TAKES CARE OF ALL EXPENSES, BEATRICE KEPT. CASTOR IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE HAITIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. SHE SAYS THAT BECAUSE HAITIANS CANNOT WORK. SOCIETY IS BOUND TO FEEL THE IMPACTS PEOPLE THAT ARE BORN HERE. DON'T WANT TO. >> DO THOSE BLUE COLLAR JOBS IS IN ON THE IMMIGRANTS ARE WILLING TO DO IT BECAUSE THEY COME HERE. THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAME HERE TO WORK AND TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILY. >> HER HUSBAND UNICAST OR SAYS IT'S NOT ONLY INDUSTRIES THAT ARE IMPACTED PEOPLE DISKIN EVEN TO COME TO. >> IT'S GOOD TO GO TO THE SUPERMARKET. THIS SCHEDULE TO GO OUT. GOOD TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY JUST COULDN'T FIND PEOPLE TO DO. WHAT DOES IT FEEL TO THE 2 LEADERS HAVE EASILY BEEN USING BECAUSE OF SITUATION? >> SHE KEPT CASTOR SAYS IT'S NOT THE PATIENTS DON'T WANT TO GO HOME. THEY JUST CAN'T BECAUSE OF SAFETY. WHAT WILL HAPPEN? >> IS THAT THEY WILL BE KILLED BY GANG MEMBERS BECAUSE, AGAIN, MEMBERS LOOK AT THEM AS HEY, YOU'VE BEEN IN THE U.S. ALL ALONG AND NOW YOU'RE COMING BACK. SO THEREFORE, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE YOUR LIFE. JUST TO MAKE A STATEMENT TO THE UNITED STATE. >> ROSE SAYS THAT IF THE COUNTRY WERE SAFE, THEY WOULD GO BACK TO GETHER. >> GOING BACK TO HAITI. HAITI IS NOT SAFE YET. THEY ARE KILLING PEOPLE. NOW THERE'S SO MANY PROBLEMS WE CAN'T LIVE THERE. IT IS A MESS. WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY GONE TO HAITI. WE WOULD NOT STAY HERE FOR THAT LONG. WE WOULD LOVE TO GO, BUT WE CAN. >> BOTH CONTINUE PRAYING THAT THE EXPIRATION WILL BE REVERSED OR HAITI BECOME SAFE WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR HONEST WORK. >> SEE THE THING THAT USUALLY >> WE BELIEVE THINGS MAY CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT UNEXPECTEDLY IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, BUT ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT. HE CAN DO ANYTHING HE WANTS. WE ARE NOT LOSING HOPE >> WE ARE NOW JOINED BY WGCU REPORTER SAMUEL BRUCKER. SAMUEL, THANKS FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BUILT THEIR LIVES IN OUR COUNTRY. THEY HAVE SPENT 10 OR 15 YEARS. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY SUDDENLY LOSE THEIR LEGAL STATUS? >> ABSOLUTELY. SO. >> TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS. TPS IS A MECHANISM THAT ALLOWS THE GOVERNMENT TO GRANT TEMPORARY LEGAL STATUS TO NATIONALS OF THE COUNTRY BEING IMPACTED BY DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. NOW, THOSE CONDITIONS CAN INCLUDE NATURAL DISASTERS AND GANG VIOLENCE. AND THAT'S WHAT'S OCCURRING RIGHT NOW IN HAITI IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR TPS, A NATIONAL MUST BE PHYSICALLY IN THE U.S. REGARDLESS OF THEIR LEGAL STATUS SINCE THE DESIGNATION STATE. SO WHAT IT MEANS WHEN SOMEONE LOSES TPS IS THEY ESSENTIALLY LOSE THEIR RIGHTS TO WORK AND LIVE IN THE COUNTRY LEGALLY. PEOPLE WHO ARE GRANTED TPS, I USE THAT PROTECTION TO BUILD LONG-TERM LIVES. AND NOW THAT LEGAL BASIS HAS VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED WITH THE SWIPE OF A PEN, EVEN THOUGH IT'S EXPIRED, IT DOESN'T ERASE YEARS OF WORKING CONNECTIONS MADE HERE IN THE U.S. >> WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL RIPPLE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYERS IN INDUSTRIES WHO ARE TRYING TO EMPLOY THESE PATIENTS WHO NO LONGER HAVE LEGAL STATUS? ABSOLUTELY. WELL, THIS WILL ABSOLUTELY IMPACT EMPLOYERS IN INDUSTRIES. SO I SPOKE WITH AND AIR AT THE MINE, CO-FOUNDER OF THE MINE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM. >> AND WE SHE SAYS WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF WHAT SHE CALLS A CATCH. 22 WERE ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. WE ARE TERMINATING LEGAL STATUS IS FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHILE ON A LOCAL LEVEL, EMPLOYERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIND WILLING AND SKILLED WORKERS WHEN SOMEONE LOSES EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION AND EMPLOYER CANNOT SIMPLY CONTINUE TO EMPLOY THAT PERSON. IT'S UNLAWFUL JUST IN THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY ALONE. 22% OF THE 510,000 EMPLOYED HAITIAN AMERICANS IN 2024. WORTH IN SOME FORM OF HEALTH CARE. AND THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE. THAT'S MORE THAN ONE-FIFTH OF THE ENTIRE HAITIAN AMERICAN WORKFORCE. AND THAT'S A BIG CHUNK. AGRICULTURE IS ANOTHER INDUSTRY THAT WILL BE IMPACTED AS EMANUEL AND OTHERS LIKE HIM CANNOT LEGALLY PICK VEGETABLES AND FRUITS LIKE THEY ONCE DID FOR DECADES. ROSE EVEN DID IT FOR OVER 45 YEARS. THIS IS HOW WE MANUAL SAW HIS OPPORTUNITY IN THE U.S. WHILE BEING ABLE TO EARN AN HONEST LIVING AND SEND MONEY AND FOOD BACK TO HIS FAMILY IN HAITI. >> SAMUEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXTENSIVE REPORTING ON THIS. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.