Defend Haitian immigrants!
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 11:47 pm
Detroit/Seattle Workers' Voice mailing list
June 30, 2025
Legal Haitian residents are the latest targets of Trump’s war on immigrants
by Pete Brown, Detroit Workers' Voice
Trump’s war against immigrants is largely directed against Latin Americans crossing into the U.S. at the southern border. But it isn’t limited to that. Another aspect of Trump’s assault on immigrants is the cancellation of TPS – Temporary Protected Status – for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants. TPS is a government program that gives refugees from natural disaster, famine, social disruption or political persecution the right to enter the U.S. on a temporary basis. Quotas are waived for some people if it’s determined that their home country is undergoing some kind of disaster. In recent years, TPS status was extended to refugees from Afghanistan, for example, after the expulsion of the U.S.-backed government there. Another example is Venezuela, which is undergoing severe economic and political trouble. But now, the Trump administration has cancelled TPS status for hundreds of thousands of refugees from these countries. Those still residing in the U.S. will be subject to deportation soon.
Another example is refugees from Haiti. Haiti was hit by a tremendous natural disaster in 2010, when an earthquake killed an estimated 200,000 people and left millions homeless. Many people were bereft of jobs or incomes as businesses were destroyed by the earthquake. At that point, the Obama administration extended TPS status to thousands of Haitians trying to escape the dire conditions in Haiti. Many thousands arrived in the U.S. legally under the auspices of this program, and they proceeded to make new lives for their families here.
In Haiti, however, conditions only worsened, as social crime exploded and living conditions became worse. During his first administration, Donald Trump tried to get all the Haitian refugees expelled, but various organizations went to court and proved that conditions in Haiti were worse than ever. As a result, Trump’s attempts to cut off Haitians from TPS were blocked by the courts.
Conditions worsened with the arrival of the COVID epidemic. Few Haitians had access to COVID vaccine. Criminal gangs flourished as normal social life died off. Kidnappings became a common occurrence. Then, conditions nosedived after the assassination of Haiti’s president in 2021. Organizing a normal election became impossible. The TPS program for Haitians had been stopped, so in order to get into the U.S., thousands of Haitians flew to Mexico and joined the thousands of people queuing at the border for admittance to the U.S. This created a crisis for the Biden administration, which tried to maintain Trump’s cancellation of TPS for Haitians. But this looked very bad compared to the Obama administration. Biden finally agreed to admit more Haitians under TPS, but at the same time he deported thousands who had entered the U.S. on their own. (1)
Trump slanders Haitian residents of the U.S.
In preparation for his second term, Trump launched a series of attacks against Haitians in the U.S. While campaigning, Trump promised his reactionary MAGA base he would cancel TPS programs. He referred to Haiti as one of the “shithole” countries and promised he would deport masses of Haitians. Then, last September, as the election campaign heated up, Trump and his VP candidate, J. D. Vance, launched a slanderous campaign about Haitians eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio. Trump tried to stir up trouble in Springfield by visiting and declaring his intention to “protect” the citizens there. But this campaign was soon exposed as an outright racist campaign. (2) Residents of Springfield themselves refuted the stories told by Trump and Vance and launched their own campaign of friendship and support for the Haitians in their town. (3)
But once reelected, Trump proceeded to implement his plan. TPS was cancelled for Afghans and Venezuelans and now, as of June 29, has been cancelled for Haitians. (4) The 300,000 Haitians living in the U.S. under TPS will have their status revoked in August, at which point they will be subject to deportation. This is nothing but a crime against humanity, as it is well known that living conditions in Haiti have continued to deteriorate. Homeland Security cynically styles themselves as “humanitarian” because they are offering free airfare to Haitians if they agree to self-deport. But this is like offering free swimsuits to passengers on the Titanic.
The dangers facing anyone living in Haiti have not been ameliorated, so there is no justification for returning people there. Trump’s Dept. of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it’s OK, Haiti is now safe, but this was immediately denounced as a lie by anyone with knowledge of the situation. Trump’s own Dept. of State recognizes the dangers facing people in Haiti and strongly advises Americans against visiting there. (5) The airport in Port-au-Prince was only recently reopened, and the U.S. embassy is urging any Americans still in Haiti to get out, now.
The people from Haiti being targeted for removal are not criminals, as Trump has accused many immigrants of being. They are peacefully living in places like Springfield, Ohio, working at jobs, opening restaurants, and raising their families. They haven’t even committed the so-called “crime” of entering the U.S. without documentation. They are completely legal residents, recognized and approved by the U.S. government. This shows what’s really behind Trump’s campaign against the immigrants: it isn’t a campaign to reduce crime or save jobs. It’s simply a racist attack on one section of the working class – the poorest and most oppressed section at that.
Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign is being criticized by many liberal organizations – the UN office of refugees, prominent Catholic bishops, and a variety of nonprofit organizations that assist refugees. But as well, it’s important for working class activists to include defense of the Haitians as part of their organizing work. An attack on one section of the working class is an attack on all workers.
Down with Trump’s war on the immigrants! Defend TPS protections for Haitians!
Notes
1. Pete Brown, “Crisis at the border: Thousands of Haitians deported by Biden”. Detroit Workers’ Voice, October 1, 2021. https://www.communistvoice.org/DSWV-211001.html.
2. Justine McDaniel, Anumita Kaur, María Luisa Paúl and Samantha Chery, “Trump’s false claim about Haitian immigrants eating pets invokes racist trope”. Washington Post, September 14, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politic ... tereotype/.
3. Tim Hall, “Haitian immigrants and other Americans fight back against Trump/Vance slanderous lies about Haitians eating pets”. Detroit/Seattle Workers’ Voice mailing list, September 28, 2024. https://www.communistvoice.org/DSWV-240928.pdf
4. Tim Balk, “Trump officials to end deportation protections for Haitian immigrants”. New York Times, June 28, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/us/p ... rants.html.
5. Victoria Bisset, “DHS ends deportation protection for Haitians, says Haiti is ‘safe’”. Washington Post, June 28, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigrat ... ed-status/.
Picture: Nostrand Avenue & Avenue D in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti neighborhood h[url]ttps://i0.wp.com/haitiantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/250131RAID01_413-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&ssl=1[/url].
June 30, 2025
Legal Haitian residents are the latest targets of Trump’s war on immigrants
by Pete Brown, Detroit Workers' Voice
Trump’s war against immigrants is largely directed against Latin Americans crossing into the U.S. at the southern border. But it isn’t limited to that. Another aspect of Trump’s assault on immigrants is the cancellation of TPS – Temporary Protected Status – for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants. TPS is a government program that gives refugees from natural disaster, famine, social disruption or political persecution the right to enter the U.S. on a temporary basis. Quotas are waived for some people if it’s determined that their home country is undergoing some kind of disaster. In recent years, TPS status was extended to refugees from Afghanistan, for example, after the expulsion of the U.S.-backed government there. Another example is Venezuela, which is undergoing severe economic and political trouble. But now, the Trump administration has cancelled TPS status for hundreds of thousands of refugees from these countries. Those still residing in the U.S. will be subject to deportation soon.
Another example is refugees from Haiti. Haiti was hit by a tremendous natural disaster in 2010, when an earthquake killed an estimated 200,000 people and left millions homeless. Many people were bereft of jobs or incomes as businesses were destroyed by the earthquake. At that point, the Obama administration extended TPS status to thousands of Haitians trying to escape the dire conditions in Haiti. Many thousands arrived in the U.S. legally under the auspices of this program, and they proceeded to make new lives for their families here.
In Haiti, however, conditions only worsened, as social crime exploded and living conditions became worse. During his first administration, Donald Trump tried to get all the Haitian refugees expelled, but various organizations went to court and proved that conditions in Haiti were worse than ever. As a result, Trump’s attempts to cut off Haitians from TPS were blocked by the courts.
Conditions worsened with the arrival of the COVID epidemic. Few Haitians had access to COVID vaccine. Criminal gangs flourished as normal social life died off. Kidnappings became a common occurrence. Then, conditions nosedived after the assassination of Haiti’s president in 2021. Organizing a normal election became impossible. The TPS program for Haitians had been stopped, so in order to get into the U.S., thousands of Haitians flew to Mexico and joined the thousands of people queuing at the border for admittance to the U.S. This created a crisis for the Biden administration, which tried to maintain Trump’s cancellation of TPS for Haitians. But this looked very bad compared to the Obama administration. Biden finally agreed to admit more Haitians under TPS, but at the same time he deported thousands who had entered the U.S. on their own. (1)
Trump slanders Haitian residents of the U.S.
In preparation for his second term, Trump launched a series of attacks against Haitians in the U.S. While campaigning, Trump promised his reactionary MAGA base he would cancel TPS programs. He referred to Haiti as one of the “shithole” countries and promised he would deport masses of Haitians. Then, last September, as the election campaign heated up, Trump and his VP candidate, J. D. Vance, launched a slanderous campaign about Haitians eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio. Trump tried to stir up trouble in Springfield by visiting and declaring his intention to “protect” the citizens there. But this campaign was soon exposed as an outright racist campaign. (2) Residents of Springfield themselves refuted the stories told by Trump and Vance and launched their own campaign of friendship and support for the Haitians in their town. (3)
But once reelected, Trump proceeded to implement his plan. TPS was cancelled for Afghans and Venezuelans and now, as of June 29, has been cancelled for Haitians. (4) The 300,000 Haitians living in the U.S. under TPS will have their status revoked in August, at which point they will be subject to deportation. This is nothing but a crime against humanity, as it is well known that living conditions in Haiti have continued to deteriorate. Homeland Security cynically styles themselves as “humanitarian” because they are offering free airfare to Haitians if they agree to self-deport. But this is like offering free swimsuits to passengers on the Titanic.
The dangers facing anyone living in Haiti have not been ameliorated, so there is no justification for returning people there. Trump’s Dept. of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it’s OK, Haiti is now safe, but this was immediately denounced as a lie by anyone with knowledge of the situation. Trump’s own Dept. of State recognizes the dangers facing people in Haiti and strongly advises Americans against visiting there. (5) The airport in Port-au-Prince was only recently reopened, and the U.S. embassy is urging any Americans still in Haiti to get out, now.
The people from Haiti being targeted for removal are not criminals, as Trump has accused many immigrants of being. They are peacefully living in places like Springfield, Ohio, working at jobs, opening restaurants, and raising their families. They haven’t even committed the so-called “crime” of entering the U.S. without documentation. They are completely legal residents, recognized and approved by the U.S. government. This shows what’s really behind Trump’s campaign against the immigrants: it isn’t a campaign to reduce crime or save jobs. It’s simply a racist attack on one section of the working class – the poorest and most oppressed section at that.
Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign is being criticized by many liberal organizations – the UN office of refugees, prominent Catholic bishops, and a variety of nonprofit organizations that assist refugees. But as well, it’s important for working class activists to include defense of the Haitians as part of their organizing work. An attack on one section of the working class is an attack on all workers.
Down with Trump’s war on the immigrants! Defend TPS protections for Haitians!
Notes
1. Pete Brown, “Crisis at the border: Thousands of Haitians deported by Biden”. Detroit Workers’ Voice, October 1, 2021. https://www.communistvoice.org/DSWV-211001.html.
2. Justine McDaniel, Anumita Kaur, María Luisa Paúl and Samantha Chery, “Trump’s false claim about Haitian immigrants eating pets invokes racist trope”. Washington Post, September 14, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politic ... tereotype/.
3. Tim Hall, “Haitian immigrants and other Americans fight back against Trump/Vance slanderous lies about Haitians eating pets”. Detroit/Seattle Workers’ Voice mailing list, September 28, 2024. https://www.communistvoice.org/DSWV-240928.pdf
4. Tim Balk, “Trump officials to end deportation protections for Haitian immigrants”. New York Times, June 28, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/us/p ... rants.html.
5. Victoria Bisset, “DHS ends deportation protection for Haitians, says Haiti is ‘safe’”. Washington Post, June 28, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigrat ... ed-status/.
Picture: Nostrand Avenue & Avenue D in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti neighborhood h[url]ttps://i0.wp.com/haitiantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/250131RAID01_413-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&ssl=1[/url].