ORLANDO, Florida — Traveling across the country protesting, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) residents made a stop in Central Florida Friday.
- 'TPS Journey for Justice Carvavan' makes stop in Central Fla.
- Florida home to 44,800 TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti
- They want to convince lawmakers to keep TPS program
The group is against the Trump administration’s plan to end deportation protections for TPS holders.
“Their lives, their futures are in jeopardy under this administration,” yelled one protestor into a mega-phone.
The group is part of the “TPS Journey for Justice Caravan,” which plans to visit 50 cities in a total of 12 weeks.
“Shame on you, shame on you. Shame on you! Shame on you,” yelled Umain Louis Jean, a TPS resident.
Louis Jean came to the U.S. from Haiti 22 years ago and said a failing government and devastation from the 2010 earthquake are just some of the reasons she does not want to return.
“It is because I am seeking a better life,” Louis Jean said.
In her time here, she has married to a U.S. citizen and has two U.S.-born children. But when her TPS status is up in February, she may be forced to go back to Haiti. Now, she and others are fighting for one goal.
“We are looking for something permanent. Residency. Permanent. That is what we need,” Louis Jean said.
The National TPS Alliance said Florida is home to 44,800 TPS holders from just El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti.
“We have to keep going … we are going to finish soon in the next two weeks — to finish up in Washington D.C. on November 9,” Louis Jean said.
Their hope is to convince leaders in Washington why they feel TPS is a lifesaving program that should stay.
Spectrum News reached out to Marco Rubio’s office for comment on the protest. We have yet to hear back from them.