ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are now at risk of deportation after a special immigration program officially expired overnight.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) expired at midnight, affecting more than 350,000 people from Haiti and Syria who had been allowed to live and work legally in the United States.
The change comes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to end TPS protections for those countries.
The decision could have a significant impact in Central Florida, which is home to the state’s third-largest Haitian community.
Local industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers, including hospitality and healthcare, could face workforce shortages as a result.
Temporary Protected Status is designed to protect people from returning to countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that make it unsafe to return.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said conditions in Haiti have improved enough for people to return.
However, the United Nations continues to warn that widespread gang violence, kidnappings and instability remain serious concerns in the country.
Immigration advocates say they are concerned about the uncertainty facing families and workers who have built lives in the United States under the program.
Supporters of the policy change argue that the temporary protections were never intended to become permanent.
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