PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Haitian families in Palm Beach County said the federal government’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians has triggered widespread fear and uncertainty throughout the community.
“We feel it in every way. In the churches, everywhere. We feel the impact of the immigration fallout,” Emmanuel Similus said. He also added, “Whether you’re directly impacted, you have a friend, or you have a friend that has a friend, so we all feel it some kind of way.”
Emmanuel Similus, who owns a restaurant in Delray Beach, said even his own niece is facing an immigration deadline.
“She was allowed for two years and her two years was expired,” he said.
Similus said his niece is among the 300,000 Haitians whose TPS will expire in less than 90 days.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last week that TPS for Haitians will end Feb. 3, 2026, saying “Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also urged Haitian TPS holders to prepare to “depart” if they have no other legal pathway to stay in the United States.
Residents said the impact will be immediate.
“Their jobs are on the line. The driving is on the line. Some of these people have cars, house, you know what,” one community member said.
Haitian immigration attorney Frandley Julien said families are scrambling for answers and running out of time.
“People are panicking, they don’t know what to do," Julien said. "We have those mixed status families where you have a U.S. citizen spouse and the other spouse is on TPS — they don’t know what to do, what kind of decision they will have to come up with.”
He warns that most TPS holders will have few, if any, options to remain in the country.
"For the vast majority of TPS holders, there will be no options," Julien said. "We tell them they need to consult with an estate planning attorney, because you may have decisions to make.”
Julien disputes the administration’s justification for ending TPS, saying conditions in Haiti have not improved.
“Haiti is in worst shape today than it has ever been at any TPS designation moment,” he said. “Definitely the administration is mischaracterizing the condition on the ground."
He said immigration advocates plan to challenge the decision in court. But for thousands of Haitian families, the uncertainty is overwhelming.
