Florida Dems cry foul as Donald Trump threatens to revoke TPS for Haitians

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he will revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians if he wins in November. That’s a move that could affect tens of thousands of Haitians living legally in Florida.

Trump made his comments to NewsNation at a Texas fundraiser while discussing a high concentration of Haitian immigrants in Ohio. He said Springfield was “overrun” by immigrants. “You can’t do that to people,” Trump said.

When reporter Ali Bradley asked if Trump would revoke TPS, Trump responded, “Absolutely, I’d revoke it and I’d bring them back to their country.”

The position alarmed Democrats in Florida, the state with the greatest number of Haitian immigrants.

“Florida has the largest population of Haitians in America and we will not stand by silently while Donald Trump threatens and terrorizes this community. This is a false narrative with real consequences,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

“Donald Trump has already told us what he’ll do if he returns to the White House — run the largest deportation program in American history. He is a danger not just to the Haitian community but to all immigrants. Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and all immigrants in Florida living with temporary protection are at risk of being targeted under Donald Trump — we can’t let that happen.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended status for refugees from Haiti multiple times. Most recently, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas redesignated Haiti for TPS through Feb. 3, 2026. The validity of certain Employment Authorization documents was also extended, but only through Aug. 5 of next year. Immigrants must register with Homeland Security to receive a TPS designation.

Recent comments by U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, have focused much of the attention around Haitian immigration on Springfield. But far more Haitians live in Florida than any other state.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Miami Democrat, said Haitian refugees across the country would be hurt by revoking protections. But she also said that insensitivity was predictable from the former and would-be President.

“Trump’s commitment to repeal TPS for Haitians should come as no surprise,” Wilson said. “He is a racist who wants to deport all immigrants just because they don’t fit his narrow vision of America. We should be expanding TPS to include more Haitians who are suffering, not deporting them.”

The Center for Immigration Studies reports that as of 2022, some 727,000 Haitian immigrants resided in the U.S. Of those, 369,000 lived in Florida, about 51%.

Since then, numbers have continued to surge. The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey shows 852,000 Haitian immigrants in the U.S. as of February 2024; state-level data is not yet available.

The distribution of TPS beneficiaries is also not available. But DHS reports that as of March 31, a total of 200,005 Haitian immigrants had been approved for TPS, according to the National Immigration Forum. That’s roughly a quarter of all individuals currently granted TPS nationwide

A 2021 report from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network showed that in 2018, halfway through Trump’s previous term as President, Haitians made up the greatest number of TPS holders in Florida. At the time, about 32,000 of the more than 57,000 TPS holders in the state originated in Haiti. But at that point, around 55,000 Haitian TPS holders lived in the U.S., about a quarter of those in the nation now.

A revocation of TPS status would affect beneficiaries across the country and could prompt deportations of individuals back to Haiti as violent conflict there worsens. Florida lawmakers said revoking TPS would be morally wrong.

“Trump’s proposal to terminate TPS for Haitians legally living within this country is a cruel and inhumane decision that would have devastating consequences for countless individuals and families. Given the ongoing crisis in Haiti, including political instability, natural disasters, and economic hardship, it is morally reprehensible to force Haitians to return to a country where their safety and well-being are at risk,” said state Rep. Marie Woodson, a Hollywood Democrat born in Port-de-Paix, Haiti.

“The U.S. government must prioritize the protection of vulnerable populations and continue to extend TPS for Haitians and the other groups. The continued demonization of Haitians by the Trump and Vance campaign shows the fear they have of the Haitian Community as a voting bloc and WE will do everything in our power to get Kamala Harris elected.”

Woodson’s district is made up heavily of Haitian Americans. Other lawmakers representing large Haitian constituencies also criticized Trump’s words.

“Revoking TPS for Haitians is not only economically bad policy but it’s ending what is a legal process for immigrants to achieve the American Dream,” said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat. “This only further feeds into Trump’s anti-immigrant fervor that is all about partisan politics and — in the case of Springfield — based in lies too!”

A United Nations report this week said 5.4 million people living in Haiti, nearly half the nation’s current population, are experiencing crisis, emergency or famine levels of hunger, according to The Associated Press.

“This is one of the highest proportions of acutely food insecure people in any crisis around the world,” said U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.

Gang violence has disrupted the government on the island, which has remained heavily impacted since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the island and resigned in April. The U.N. recently extended a Kenya-lead police mission to restore order on the island, where nearly 1,400 people were killed or injured between April and June, according to Newsweek.

For immigration reform advocates, the Trump comments feel alarming on top of accusations of Haitians based on stereotypes.

“Former President Trump’s awful comments about Haitians come alongside a promise to strip protections from people with legal status,” said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us.  “His promises to strip away the status of millions of Dreamers, TPS holders, and others to separate millions of families are wrong for our country — and because Americans overwhelmingly know this, they reject these politically toxic positions.”