WASHINGTON, D.C. — April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the Biden administration’s 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation:

"This administration continues its relentless assault on immigrant communities, and the decision to rip away protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian families who have TPS is yet another example. By stripping legal protections from immigrants who have built their lives here, the administration is not only tearing families apart but they are also destabilizing entire communities, industries and local economies that rely on these hardworking people.

Forcing Haitian people with TPS out of their jobs and their homes is both inhumane and economically irresponsible. When our airports are empty of service workers and when seniors don’t have a careworker at their side in hospitals and nursing homes, it will be because of reckless decisions like this one. Employers, businesses, and entire communities will suffer as a result.

Haiti remains in a state of severe humanitarian crisis, plagued by gang violence, political instability, and economic turmoil. Forcing Haitian TPS recipients to return under these conditions is unconscionable. Many have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, paying taxes, raising families, and contributing to their communities. They deserve stability, not deportation.

This administration’s pattern of using immigrants as political scapegoats to distract from their billionaires’ agenda is clear. SEIU members stand with Haitian TPS holders, their families, and all immigrant workers who contribute to this nation. We will fight against these divisive, cruel policies and continue to demand a permanent solution that provides a path to citizenship—because our economy, our communities, and our shared future depend on it.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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