Father Hilaire Belizaire says the normally packed St. Jerome Church in Little Haiti has gotten a little quieter.

“I wasn’t sure what was going on until I was like, ‘Oh, the executive order,’” Belizaire said.


What You Need To Know

  • The New York metro-area has the second-largest Haitian population in the nation, with an estimated 163,000 Haitian immigrants calling the area home

  • On Friday, community members and elected leaders gathered in Little Haiti to rally in support of Haitians with Temporary Protected Status, also known as TPS

  • TPS for Haitians is set to expire Aug. 3

Belizaire says the recent order by the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, also known as TPS, for Haitians has many community members living in fear.

TPS is a temporary immigration benefit granted to nationals of another country when conditions prevent their safe return home.

“They’re afraid of being stopped by [U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement] agents,” Belizaire said.

“The streets are quiet. That’s what [is] really sad. People that actually have businesses and that have families are kind of going underground,” Harry D’Janite said.

That’s because officials say gangs control 85% of Haiti’s capital, and gang violence has left more than one million people homeless.

On Friday, D’Janite hosted elected officials outside the church to rally in support of TPS-protected Haitians.

“It’s just horrible, and we felt like we needed to come together to make our voices heard, to stand in a unified voice to make it be known we will not go for it, we will not stand for it,” D’Janite said.

The New York metro-area has the second-largest Haitian population in the nation, with an estimated 163,000 Haitian immigrants calling the area home.

D’Janite says sending them back to a Haiti, many of whom have lived in this country for years, is inhumane.

“We are the voice of the voiceless,” D’Janite said.

TPS for Haitians is set to expire Aug. 3.