COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Members of the growing Haitian community and their employers in the Coldwater community are facing an uncertain future as a Temporary Protected Status is scheduled to canceled by the end of August.
According to a release from U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem in February vacated a decision by the Biden administration to extend Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status by 18 months. As part of this move, Haiti’s TPS will end August 3, 2025, unless extended.
Noem says it’s part of President Trump’s promise to rescind policies that were magnets for illegal immigration and inconsistent with the law. She says extension of the country’s TPS designation allowed more Haitian nationals, even those who entered the U.S. illegally, to qualify for legal protected status.
Locally, around 400 Haitian nationals work at Clemens Food Group in Coldwater.
5th District Congressman Tim Walberg says there could be some changes coming to the recent policy shift.
Media reports have said gangs in Haiti are responsible for thousands of deaths in that country and more than one million Haitians have been displaced in the past year.
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