Overview
- The termination took effect this week and removed work permits for roughly 300,000 people nationwide, with local estimates of between about 5,000 and 40,000 affected in New York City.
- The Department of Homeland Security has promoted voluntary departure help and posted images of deportation flights while reporting and advocates say the U.S. plans roughly 250 removals to Haiti per week.
- Employers that relied on TPS workers are laying off staff, with a Brooklyn restaurant owner saying he was forced to fire long-time employees and neighborhood leaders describing streets as 'ghost-like.'
- Advocates held a rally in Foley Square calling on Congress to pass legislation such as the American Dream and Promise Act and many former TPS holders are consulting lawyers about asylum or family petitions despite long waits.
- TPS was created after Haiti's 2010 earthquake and returns are complicated by ongoing violence there, making deportations a human and safety concern for families with U.S.-born children.