Haitian community in Chicago rallies as Temporary Protected Status nears expiration

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Members of Chicago's Haitian community and immigrant advocates gathered Thursday to protest the impending expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, just hours before the program was set to end for several immigrant groups Friday.

The demonstration came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month in favor of the Trump administration's effort to end TPS for thousands of immigrants from several countries, including Haiti and Syria. The decision has left many Haitian immigrants and businesses uncertain about what comes next.

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On Chicago's Far South Side, owners of Lior's Cafe said they are concerned that some of their Haitian employees may soon have to leave their jobs once TPS expires.

"It's scary because you come here, you establish a family, work, like, being a contributing member of society here, then all of a sudden, just like that, everything is gone," said Merlyn Jose, manager at Lior's Café.

TPS allows people fleeing natural disasters, wars and persecuted regimes to live and work legally in the United States. Roughly 350,000 Haitians hold TPS status, many having come to the United States following Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority sided with the Trump administration in its effort to end TPS protections for immigrants from several countries.

At the Jean Baptiste Point du Sable monument on Michigan Avenue, a coalition of local Haitian American organizations called on lawmakers to take action.

"Long before Chicago became the great city that we know today, an immigrant from Haiti helped lay its foundation," said Patrick Brutus, co-founder of the Haitian American Professional Network.

The group was joined by lead counsel in Miot v. Trump, the TPS case that was struck down by the nation's highest court.

"It was very much a gut-punch," said attorney Geoff Pipoly.

"To simply have the highest court in the land brush all that evidence to one side with a wave of a hand and say it doesn't matter, and it's not overtly racial when it very clearly is, is hard to take," Pipoly said.

Immigrant advocates are also urging Congress to pass Senate Bill 4814, a measure that would require the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status.

As the expiration date approaches, Haitian residents, workers and business owners across Chicago say they are facing an uncertain future while awaiting the next steps from lawmakers and federal officials.