Haitian Woman Hides Amid Deportation Concerns as TPS Ends

In Florida, a 29-year-old expectant mother worries about deportation. She is among over 300,000 Haitian nationals once under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which the Trump administration recently terminated after a lengthy legal struggle, citing improved conditions in Haiti.

Ahead of TPS expiration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned increased operations targeting Haitian migrants, according to ICE sources and documents accessed by CBS News.

The woman, unnamed by CBS News, arrived in the U.S. at age six. She has no family in Haiti. The TPS program initially helped Haitians fleeing violence. Yet, the State Department’s Level 4 travel advisory warns Americans against traveling to Haiti. A United Nations report highlighted 613 gang-related killings in Haiti from March to July and suspended basic services in affected areas.

Florida hosts one of the largest Haitian communities in the U.S. A man sits by a mural in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, illustrating the cultural significance.

“I wouldn’t have anywhere to go,”

she says when asked about returning to Haiti. She argues TPS’s temporary nature aligns with the journey to legal status, which involves temporary processes.

After her TPS expired, she lost her job and now faces losing health insurance. Her high-risk pregnancy demands weekly medical visits, whose costs are uncertain. Her partner, a U.S. citizen, ensures the baby will be American-born.

“Yes, I do feel like I’m American,” she reflects. Having lived in the U.S. most of her life, it’s the only home she knows for now.

Little Haiti in Miami is now eerily quiet, once lively streets mostly empty. She limits outings to essential medical appointments, which she might soon stop. Camilo Montoya-Galvez also contributed to this report.