MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Over a million immigrants in the United States from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela had their Temporary Protected Status extended this week.

What You Need To Know

  • President-elect Trump has committed to ending ‘Temporary Protected Status’ for immigrants from several countries, including Haiti.

  • TPS for Haitians officially ends in February 2026, though a local immigration attorney notes that a backlog of applications is currently affecting their status.

  • Some came through the Biden parole program, while others were granted TPS after the earthquake in Haiti 15 years ago.

This extension comes right before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Trump has committed to ending ‘Temporary Protected Status’ for immigrants from several countries, including Haiti

TPS for Haitians officially ends in February 2026, though a local immigration attorney notes that a backlog of applications is currently affecting their status.

“We have clients that are pending their cases for over a year, waiting for their TPS. And during that time period, particularly if it's a new TPS application, they don't have work authorization,” said Attorney John Dubrule. "So this is a huge problem for people. So, you know, it's a bureaucratic process and, you know, there's no way to speed it up for people.”

Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick led a letter signed by several members of Congress. They are urging President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to redesignate TPS for Haitians, noting that TPS holders play a significant role in helping our economy thrive.

“Normally, the president would not do that until 90 days that it was going to end,” said Dubrule, who represents a large contingent of Haitians in the Tampa Bay area.

Some came through the Biden parole program, while others, like his client named Rose, were granted TPS after the earthquake in Haiti 15 years ago. Rose claims she was one of the few who survived the collapse of her building.

“When they did the operation for me, my leg was broken so much, so that they brought me here to the U.S,” she recalls.

She is scheduled to renew her Temporary Protected Status this year and is concerned about the violence that continues to escalate in Haiti.

“You can’t go back to Haiti because of robbery, you understand,” she said in Haitian Creole. “They are kidnapping people, they’re raping people, they are doing all kinds of things.”

Dubrule states that if TPS is not extended, it could signal the onset of a humanitarian and economic crisis.

“A lot of Haitians entered under what they call the Biden parole. And so they were given a limited time period to work under that parole program. And if they are waiting for their TPS, then there could be a gap in their time period where they would be unable to work.”