Immigrant rights advocates gathered outside of Republican Senator Ashley Moody’s Orlando office Wednesday, urging her to support proposed legislation — already passed by the U.S. House — that would restore Temporary Protected Status for Haitians until 2029.
The Senate proposal seeks to restore Haiti’s TPS, following its termination on July 27. House lawmakers — mostly Democrats, but also 10 Republicans, plus one Independent — voted 224-204 in April to approve companion legislation.
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What’s TPS?
TPS is a status designated for foreign countries where conditions temporarily prevent nationals from being able to return safely — or, in certain cases, for countries that can’t adequately handle their returning nationals, according to the Department of Homeland Security. People hailing from a TPS-designated country who are already in the United States can become eligible to work here, and cannot be removed or detained based on their immigration status.
Haiti was designated for TPS in 2010, days after a massive earthquake devastated the country. It received multiple extensions of that status, in light of widespread violence and humanitarian crises which remain ongoing. The State Department urges U.S. citizens not to travel to Haiti for any reason, “due to crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care.”
This year, Haiti’s TPS was terminated July 27, under the direction of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Since then, hundreds of Haitians have been deported from the U.S. to their home country, where they reportedly face dangerous conditions. Many deportees still had asylum claims pending with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the international watchdog Human Rights Watch.
Concern in Central Florida
On Wednesday morning, Central Floridians with the Immigrants are Welcome Here Coalition and other advocacy groups held a rally outside Moody’s Orlando office, to sound the alarm about challenges Haitians now face due to the termination of their TPS.
“People who lose legal status don't disappear; they get pushed into the shadows, where they are easier to exploit, easier to traffic, and less likely to report abuse,” said Aaron Lewis, a community organizer with the coalition and the Justice and Power Collective.
“I work on homelessness, domestic violence, and trafficking every day. This policy feeds all three of them,” Lewis said.
Advocates also flagged new whistleblower reports that allege detainees are experiencing inhumane conditions at an ICE holding facility in Orlando. This week, Democratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter with a comprehensive breakdown of those allegations to ICE Acting Director David Venturella.
The whistleblower reports allege ICE is “putting hundreds of people in very, very small cells, denying them access to (legal) counsel,” according to John Barry, a staff attorney with the Orlando Center for Justice.
“Our tax money is going to fund this wave of repression and violence that is going to impact not just people of color, and not just immigrants. It's going to affect all of us,” Barry said. “And not just in our pocketbook, but most importantly, our foundational, basic, constitutional rights.”
The whistleblower reports accuse ICE of detaining people in Orlando “for days to weeks in abusive and life-threatening conditions.” Holding facilities are primarily meant for “short-term confinement,” meaning 12 hours or less, according to ICE.
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What’s next?
Advocates on Wednesday delivered to Moody’s office printed copies of some 2,000 petition signatures, which were collected online to urge action on Haitian TPS and other, related concerns about how immigration enforcement is being handled under President Donald Trump.
A representative for Moody’s office reportedly told advocates they’d receive a response, without giving an anticipated timeline.
In response to a request for comment on advocates’ concerns, a spokesperson for Moody’s office directed Central Florida Public Media to comments Moody shared with WPLG Local10, a Miami TV station, back in July.
At that time, Moody reportedly said she’d been communicating with the Trump administration about alternatives for Haitians, telling WPLG: “We have got to start looking at these on a case-by-case basis.”
Also back in late July, Moody’s office sent an email to people who had signed the online petition urging for the restoration of Haiti’s TPS. “As a nation founded by immigrants, I understand the important contributions immigrants have made, not only to our country, but especially to Florida’s communities,” that email reads in part.
In that email, Moody told petitioners she would keep their “thoughts in mind” as she considered relevant legislation.
