New Data Reveals ‘Immense Human, Economic Cost’ of Terminating TPS For Haitians

BOSTON, MA – Three groups in the United States have revealed what they described as “the immense human and economic cost” of terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the US.

The Trump administration said it will terminate TPS for over 300,000 Haitians in the US, effective February 3. 

In response, FWD.us, a policy organization working to advance better and more politically resilient solutions on criminal justice and immigration, UndocuBlack Network, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) on Wednesday released a new factsheet that they said further demonstrates that Haiti’s TPS is “not only lifesaving for American families but vital to the US economy and the fabric of American communities.”

A US federal judge is expected to decide whether TPS protections for Haitians remain in place during ongoing litigation. 

“Even if a stay is granted, the administration could seek emergency Supreme Court review—just as it did in the Venezuelan TPS case,” HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). “A similar outcome for Haitian TPS holders and their communities would be devastating. 

“The key findings in the new fact sheet show what we have always known: TPS holders are deeply rooted in their families, communities, and the economy,” she added. “Stripping away these protections will not only put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk, but it will also diminish the very workforce and families that strengthen America.”  

According to key findings of the Fact Sheet, Haitian TPS holders generate an estimated US$5.9 billion for the US economy each year, and annually pay US$805 million in federal and payroll taxes and US$755 million in state and local taxes. 

The study finds 200,000 Haitian TPS holders are already in the US workforce, working in critical industries, including 15,000 agricultural workers, 13,000 nursing assistants, 8,000 caregivers, and more. 

The Fact Sheet says 50,000 US-born children have at least one parent who is a Haitian TPS holder. 

“If TPS is terminated, an estimated  25,000 of them would be pushed into poverty, when Haitian TPS holders lose work authorization,” it says. 

The study notes that TPS was created to keep families safe and together when their home countries are ravaged by war, disaster, or deep instability. 

“For more than two decades, Republican and Democratic administrations have extended these protections on the basis of broad agreement on two points: the critical role TPS holders play in our communities and workforce, and the clear danger of returning individuals to countries still facing serious instability,” the study says. 

“Haiti remains in crisis, with widespread violence and mass displacement still ongoing,” it adds. “The in-country conditions clearly meet the legal standard for maintaining TPS, making any preemptive effort to revoke these protections a clear violation of the TPS statute.” 

Patrice Lawrence, executive director of UndocuBlack Network, said that Haitian TPS holders contribute “nearly US$6 billion annually to the US economy and over $1.5 billion in taxes, and terminating protections would destabilize essential workforces, strain local systems, and harm US citizen children.

“Efforts to roll back Haiti TPS reflect long-standing anti-Black disparities in immigration policy and threaten the economic stability of families and communities that this country relies on every day,” Lawrence added. “There is still time to stop it.”

While introducing the Protect Haitian Women and Girls Resolution last Friday, Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke condemned the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for Haitians. 

“As we stand on the brink of Haiti’s TPS expiration on February 3, which would condemn hundreds of thousands more to the same chaotic environment that too many are already suffering, my colleagues and I are proud to introduce this resolution that makes our humanitarian and moral obligations clear” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York.

“In a just and decent nation, these words would not have to pass through the halls of Congress to be accepted as a universal truth,” added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “But that is not what America is today under the brutal thumb of the Trump administration.

“And so, we will continue to call for justice for our Haitian sisters, and we will continue to demand the immediate extension of TPS for our Haitian neighbors,” Clarke continued. “This president should know that the longer our calls go unanswered, the louder they will become.”

United States House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, representative for the 8th Congressional District that encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said there’s “still a significant amount of progress that needs to be made in Haiti with respect to gang violence, sexual violence, and gender violence.

“It is inhumane to send hundreds of thousands of people back to a situation that places them at risk,” he said. “I strongly support Congresswoman Clarke’s resolution and the call to extend TPS beyond its scheduled expiration in early February.

“Haitians who have been here for years pursuant to TPS have contributed to and improved the livelihood of communities all across the country,” Jeffries added. “It’s time for Congress to act to fix our broken immigration system and recognize the value of hardworking immigrants.”