In September, a federal appeals court made a ruling that opens the door for roughly 300,000 immigrants to find themselves in danger of deportation. The ruling reverses a previous judge’s decision to block the Trump administration’s actions to phase out Temporary Protected Status, which typically excludes certain immigrants from the risk of deportation. Many of these immigrants live in Florida.
What Is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary Protected Status was granted to immigrants who came to the United States in an attempt to escape unsafe environments in their home countries. One immigrant with TPS status who migrated from Haiti acknowledged that she had been in the United States for more than two decades, the first of which she did spend here as an undocumented immigrant. She was granted TPS after the 2010 earthquake did great harm to Haiti’s infrastructure.
What Happened to TPS?
A 2018 order from the Trump administration sought to end the TPS status of immigrants who were in the United States from Nicaragua, Sudan, El Salvador and Haiti. It is believed that Florida is home to approximately 36,000 of these immigrants, 32,000 of which immigrated from Haiti. A judge in California issued an injunction that halted the deportations, but the recent reopening has brought the possibility back to the forefront.
Anyone who finds themselves facing potential deportation, especially those who had been granted TPS, is encouraged to contact an immigration attorney. A lawyer well-versed in federal immigration laws can work with a client to review their case and reasons for applying for TPS. Ultimately, an attorney could help find a way for that client to remain in the United States.
