SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
For hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants living in the United States, temporary protected status - or TPS - may end as early as tonight. Those protections were put in place after Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake, and they've allowed Haitians to live and work legally in the U.S. because it was too dangerous to return to their home country. But last month, the Supreme Court let the Trump administration strip them of that status. Reporter Reshma Kirpalani is in south Florida, where one of the largest Haitian communities is based. Hi, Reshma.
RESHMA KIRPALANI: Hi, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: What are you hearing from people there?
KIRPALANI: So Florida is home to around more than half a million Haitians, and today I spoke with Father Reginald Jean-Mary, who is the lead pastor of the Notre Dame d'Haiti Catholic Church. That's an important cultural center in Little Haiti in Miami. He said the biggest challenge for Haitian TPS holders is the uncertainty of this moment. Many are afraid to leave their homes, and attendance at his church has dropped drastically.
He also pointed out what he sees as hypocrisy from the Department of Homeland Security for ending TPS for Haitians when the State Department has declared a Level 4 do-not-travel advisory for U.S. citizens going to Haiti. This is because of the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and limited healthcare.
REGINALD JEAN-MARY: We are not different. We have the same blood in our vains. We are human beings. The same breath you are breathing, that's what the Haitians are breathing. By asking them to go back to a place where people are being killed every day that you yourself will never go, neither send your family, how would you ask somebody to do that? This is mean-spirited, and there is no humanity into that.
KIRPALANI: So DHS has said repeatedly that the country is safe enough for Haitian nationals to return.
PFEIFFER: And, Reshma, I understand you spent this morning with one Haitian TPS holder in Florida. What is this person feeling about knowing that the deadline is tonight?
KIRPALANI: So Farah Larrieux is a Haitian TPS holder who has lived in the U.S. for two decades. She works two jobs and finished her overnight shift in the hospitality sector at 6 a.m. this morning, which is when I met her at her home. She has taken many steps in preparation. She has a white paper covering a small glass panel on her door because she's afraid of Immigration and Customs Enforcement showing up. She's stocked with food because she plans to stay off the road. She's memorized her lawyer's phone number and has a plan in case she's picked up by ICE.
Farah plans to live off of savings while applying for asylum status. She worries that if she's returned to Haiti, it will mean a death sentence for her because she's been vocal in speaking out against the government.
FARAH LARRIEUX: If I don't get mistreated by ICE at the detention center, I may be killed in Haiti, and my blood will be on Trump hands.
PFEIFFER: Reshma, earlier, you mentioned that DHS has said repeatedly that the country is safe enough for Haitians to return. Any more detail on that?
KIRPALANI: Yes. I reached out to the Department of Homeland Security since ICE is under that agency. They said in a statement that, quote, "conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to support the return of Haitian nationals." They also reiterated that TPS was meant to be temporary and that, quote, "temporary protections cannot become permanent by default."
When asked about targeted immigration enforcement for Haitians, a spokesperson said DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country every day, but that DHS does not discuss ongoing or future operations. DHS General Counsel James Percival said, quote, "what we would say now is it's closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
PFEIFFER: That is reporter Reshma Kirpalani in Miami. Thank you for covering this.
KIRPALANI: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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