PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A group of faith leaders and immigration advocates gathered near U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody's Palm Beach Gardens office to deliver a message, urging her to support Senate Bill 4814, which would extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the U.S. for three years.
Since 2010, that status has allowed Haitian immigrants to legally live and work in the U.S. because of dangerous conditions in their country.
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Homeland Security revoked Haitian TPS in July following a Supreme Court decision allowing it to do so.
Advocates say more than 150,000 Haitian TPS beneficiaries live in Florida, contributing $2.6 billion to the state's economy, and that they became unable to legally work when Homeland Security revoked their status.
Among those affected is Farah Larrieux, who ran her own marketing company and is now unable to work. I introduced you to Larrieux earlier this year, before TPS was revoked.
"Because of TPS, I'm able to rebuild my life," Larrieux said in February.
Larrieux didn't attend Tuesday's demonstration, but she did write one of several letters the group hoped to deliver to Moody's office.
"Since the Trump administration terminated TPS for Haiti on July 27th, 2026, my life has completely turned upside down," Larrieux wrote, in part. "I can no longer work, drive, attend to my obligations, develop my company, and continue building my life. I have no more revenues. I can no longer go out without the fear of being stopped and detained by ICE agents. I live with the constant anxiety of being deported to Haiti, where I can be raped, extorted or even be killed. Forcing me to go back to Haiti is like a death sentence."
The group tried to deliver the letters but says members were turned away by Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies stationed in the parking lot, behind a "no trespassing" sign, which I saw deputies installing this morning.
A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the "no trespassing" sign.
"Even before we opened our mouth, 'This is private property—' basically, 'get out,'" recalled Paul Christian Namphy, of a nonprofit called the Family Action Network, when he returned to a church parking lot across the street with the letters in his hand.
I also connected with a pastor from a Haitian church who has been working to help members of his community.
"We are creating food banks in our churches, and we created teams that would deliver meals to those who are at home and perhaps some stipend to help them cover the electric bills, the water bill, because they have to survive," said Frantz David Eugene, who serves as president of the Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition.
The protesters say they will continue to speak out.
"I've spoken with some Haitian workers, and they don't want to talk about it. They don't want to get involved. They're afraid that they will be deported and detained. So we can — we can speak for them," said Betsy Pickup.
Deputies remained in the parking lot outside of Moody's office early Tuesday afternoon, and a call to the Palm Beach Gardens office went to voicemail. I also reached out to Moody's press office for her position on the bill. The office has not yet responded, but I'll update this story if or when it does.
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