Temporary Protected Status advocates met in Doral on Friday to push for congressional action on several pieces of legislation that would provide protections for TPS recipients as work permits for Haitians with the status are set to expire Monday.“We need people to call their senators,” said Paul Christian Namphy, an advocate from the Family Action Network Movement.“This week we have been pushing a lot to get those votes. Hopefully we will get the support that we need,” said National Coordinator Arnoldo Diaz.The advocates are urging Congress to pass legislation offering protections for TPS recipients, including Venezuelan TPS beneficiary Sedna Mercado, who said she recently met with lawmakers in Washington.“It was really nice because it was bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats,” Mercado said. “We were able to tell them our stories and why we need protection from deportations.”Advocates said uncertainty surrounding the program has left many recipients fearful.“People have been driven underground because there is so much uncertainty,” Christian Namphy said.“Our protection from deportation, as well as our work authorization and driver’s license privileges, are coming to an end, and it is an extremely cruel measure our administration has meted out against us with the help and complicity of the Supreme Court,” Christian Namphy said.The Archdiocese of Miami said Friday it will have to terminate at least 40 employees at Catholic Health Services, one of its largest ministries, because of federal changes affecting TPS work authorization.
Another 10 employees could also be affected pending a final review of their circumstances.“It’s not just the Haitian community that is in fear, but the entire TPS community is in fear of losing their jobs or going to work and being arrested on the streets because everyone right now is at risk of deportation,” Diaz said.Mercado said many families have stopped leaving their homes.“I have a lot of friends and family that don’t go out of their houses, so they depend on DoorDash and Uber Eats to get their groceries. That is how impactful it is,” she said.TPS provides work permits and protection from deportation after the government determines conditions in a designated country prevent its nationals from returning safely.“You have Haiti, for instance.
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