ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of people living and working in Central Florida could face an uncertain future after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and thousands of Syrians.
The decision opens the door for many migrants who have been living and working in the United States legally under TPS to face possible deportation.
The ruling prompted an emotional response Friday from U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost and members of Orlando’s Haitian community, who warned the decision could have devastating consequences for families across Central Florida.
“The conversations around the dinner table are now, you know, who are you leaving the child in the care of? What will you do as far as rent? Is it one more month? Is it in two? Do you consider Canada?” said Marjory Sheba Bonzil-Brown, a Haitian American.
The Supreme Court’s ruling does not affect U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents with green cards.
However, advocates say the impact could still be significant in Orlando, which is home to approximately 11,000 Haitian residents, the third-largest Haitian population in Florida.
Jacob Datilma, president of the National Haitian American Christian Chamber, said the effects could extend well beyond the Haitian community.
“Take the nursing homes. Let’s say you take the percentage of Haitians that are working in that industry, in the nursing home, when they’re out of that space, who goes in and fill that gap? So whether or not you’re Haitian or not, it impacts all of us,” Datilma said.
Supporters of the decision argue that Temporary Protected Status was intended to be a temporary humanitarian program and say the Supreme Court’s ruling upholds federal immigration law.
Republican U.S. Representative Randy Fine praised the decision.
“It was called Temporary Protective Status, not permanent,” Fine said. “The fact is, these people simply don’t agree with our immigration laws. They believe anyone should be able to come and stay as long as they want. So now it’s time to go.”
Frost said the legal fight may have reached the Supreme Court, but he believes Congress still has the ability to intervene.
“We worked tirelessly with Ayanna Pressley to secure a few Republican co-sponsors to the bill, and we passed it,” Frost said.
He urged the Senate to take up the measure.
“We did our job. Now we call on the United States Senate to do the same thing,” Frost said.
The future of TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians now depends on whether Congress chooses to act or the administration moves forward with ending the program.
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