Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso on Wednesday rallied in Little Haiti in Flatbush to denounce the federal government's mass deportation plan that may decimate Brooklyn's Haitian community.
Speaking alongside advocates, faith leaders and elected officials in solidarity with Haitian immigrants, Reynoso decried the Trump administration's attempt to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an estimated 500,000 Haitians who lack permanent legal status.
“In Brooklyn, when you come for one of us, you come for all of us,” Reynoso said in a statement.
Haitians came to the U.S. in need of refuge from an intense string of disaster, crisis and political instability, he said.
"TPS for Haiti has allowed thousands of Haitian immigrants to find a new beginning in our borough, and Brooklyn is better for it," Reynoso added. "The Haitian community will always have a home here.”
TPS allows immigrants from designated countries experiencing turmoil to legally live and work in the U.S. Haiti was initially conferred TPS status in response to the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the country in January 2010, killing more than 300,000 people and displacing more than 1.5 million. Since then, TPS for Haiti has been redesignated and extended under multiple administrations because of additional natural disasters, public health crises and political instability.
“Behind every TPS designation are mothers, fathers, children and grandparents who simply want the chance to live in peace, work with dignity and build a future without fear," said Elsie Saint Louis, chief executive officer of Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP). "At HAUP, we see every day the sacrifices and contributions of TPS holders, neighbors who care for our elders, teach our children and keep our city thriving. To stand with them is to stand for the very soul of New York."
In February, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would terminate Haiti’s TPS status effective September 2, 2025. Following a lawsuit from the Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York temporarily extended TPS for Haitians until February 2026.
The current uncertainty has caused confusion and anxiety for TPS recipients who are now in legal limbo, immigration advocates said. There are more than 150,000 Haitian residents in New York City, most of whom live in Flatbush.
"Protecting TPS is a matter of justice and humanity,” said Jocelyn McCalla, the executive director of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy. “As long as Haiti faces a crisis, we will continue to use our advocacy arm to ensure our community is heard and protected. Brooklyn is the heart of the Haitian diaspora — when we speak together, America must listen.”
