Haitian immigrants in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are experiencing job losses and heightened fears of deportation after their work permits were not extended on Monday, 27 July 2026. Employers across various sectors, including hospitality and healthcare, are grappling with uncertainty regarding their Haitian staff.
Bobby Kuchinsky, general manager of Half Shell Raw Bar in Key West, Florida, suspended six Haitian employees on Tuesday after verifying their work permits were no longer valid. He stated he would continue checking the government website for any changes and plans to pay severance on Friday if the situation remains unchanged.
The current situation follows a 25 June decision by the US Supreme Court, which sided with the government, allowing the termination of TPS for around 350,000 Haitians who have lived and worked legally in the US since 2010. The Trump administration had previously terminated TPS for approximately 1 million people from over a dozen countries.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that TPS was designed as a temporary programme and has encouraged Haitians to request a $2,600 check for a "free flight home." US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had previously extended Haitian work permits, often for only a few days at a time, leading to ongoing confusion.
The United Nations reports that almost 1.5 million people have been displaced in Haiti due to gang violence, with over half of the country's nearly 12 million inhabitants requiring humanitarian aid. More than 2,300 people have been killed and over 1,100 injured since January.