S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , 350,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs and being deported after TPS ends for Haitian migrants. We'll talk about the impact here in San Diego. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Today marks the end of Temporary Protected Status , or TPS , for Haitians in the United States. The federal judge's decision follows a Supreme Court ruling that gave the Trump administration the green light to revoke the status. That leaves 350,000 people at risk of losing their jobs and being deported. Here in the San Diego Tijuana region , thousands of Haitians are grappling with what happens next. I'm joined now by Guerlain Joseph. She's the executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance there , a San Diego based aid group that supports and advocates for Haitian migrants and others. Carlene , welcome back to the show.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: You know , we last spoke in June when the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration permission to end TPS for Haitian migrants. What's your reaction to today's news?
S2: Today is literally the final step into what we have feared but expected to come. Now that over 350,000 lives and families both here in the United States and others are really grappling with what that means in San Diego. We see the fear in the faces of the communities , the children who are afraid to leave home , to go to summer school , or to go to the regular activities for fear that when they come back home , their mothers , their fathers , might not be there. So today is , is is a very sad day indeed as we continue to grapple with those realities. And , um , the people that we talked to make it very clear that , um , they find themselves in a state of desperation. They find themselves in a , in a space of fear and terror because of what it means , uh , in the face of losing what they have worked for a very long time now in San Diego. Some folks have been on CPS for ten years , plus some of them have homes , small businesses around the country. Uh , the impact is definitely being felt from San Diego to Springfield , Ohio , to Brooklyn , New York to Miami to Alabama , where we have a large number of people working in the meatpacking industry , in the farming industry. So we are seeing major impact , and we are really worried about what that will actually mean once , um , I start really showing up in our communities and taking our people and separating families.
S1: Well , I mean.
S2: Making children orphaned , uh , due to deportation and putting them at the word of , of of the foster care system that's already broken. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. And , you know , I wanted you to I want you to help me help us all understand that a bit more. What losing TPS status means for Haitian migrants in San Diego. You have you mentioned there's you know , there's fear , there is anxiety. There's the potential for basically family separations. Um , also , what do people face if deported back to Haiti right now?
S2: Deportation back to Haiti? I will tell you what people are telling me. Um , it is it is indeed , uh , could be a death sentence as we are speaking right now. Uh , the equivalent of what is the Department of Defense , which is the Ministry of Defence. The second in command has been kidnapped for the past month and a half , including with a six year old child , and they have not been able to locate them , which means those very same people who are in charge of defending and protecting the people in Haiti or themselves being kidnapped. Uh , and no , nothing is being done. We are seeing 1.4 million internally displaced people in Haiti. But speaking of the impact that will have , the 350,000 CPS holders who are in the US literally provide roughly 20% of the GDP of Haiti. That's 20% of what's keeping Haiti , quote unquote , financially somewhat stable , because they are providing for their loved ones , the children , the parents , their family members , the churches back in Haiti. So we are looking at a an economy collapse in Haiti , if indeed we , the United States , move forward with the deportation of of the 350,000 people and already started because those people can no longer work. They have lost their work permit , so therefore they can no longer provide for their families back home. This is a major , major humanitarian crisis that will continue to add more to the instability and the collapsing of Haiti's economy , society in every aspect that we can even think or imagine.
S1: You know , in our last conversation , we talked about how anti-Blackness and white nationalist ideology undergirded the Trump administration's decision to roll back on these protections. Do you still see that that being the case?
S2: Absolutely not that I can. I still see that has been the base for for the entire narratives in the system and everything that they have used. So we know that it's the base , but how are we going to move past that? In our call is on every single United States citizens , whether you are Republican , Democrats , independent right now , we must address a humanitarian crisis. And that means moving past the fact that we are dealing with those issues centered in anti-Black racism , centered in anything that doesn't align with the the narrative and the goal of of not only the president , but those around him that are centered in white nationalism. It is a call for the United States , a call for our country to do the right thing. And that starts by providing support for the TPS holder , the Haitians , BS holders , now the Yemeni TPS holders , the Syrian CPS holders who have been able to call the United States home for the past five , 10 to 15 years. We all move away from politics. We are centering in dignity , morality and humanity. That is why every mother in the United States , whether you are in San Diego or Arkansas or Alabama. Every father , every grandfather , every parent , every person must come together to move past the realities of politics and find a way to protect the people whose lives are in the balance right now. And let me remind everyone , these are our caregivers , our elder care takers , our farmers , our meatpacking folks , our doctors , our attorneys. We have a yeoman who is a neuroscientist right now pushing and trying to find ways to support us in the United States as well. So these are the things that we are looking into. How do we make sure we as a country. It regardless of your parties and your politics to make sure. Right now we are centering the humanity of what needs to be done , because history will judge us harshly based on how we move to protect those who are impacted right now.
S1: You've laid out the crisis at hand. How has the community been able to prepare for this moment , if at all?
S2: We've been pushing the community since 2024 , to be honest , to have a family plan. Make sure that right now there's someone who is able to support. If you were to be taken by Ice , who's going to take your pick up your children from school? Who knows what kind of medication is needed for them for you? If you have a business or home , who's going to be able to support you? And if , God forbid , you are to be deported to Haiti , how are you going to survive? Because we know by being deported , you also are being put in a position where you become a target because the people in Haiti who are kidnapping folks are doing it. So , so can can get money. So they are assuming even those people being deported are becoming literally targeted for kidnapping. So we are pushing that , in addition , asking everyone to please reach out to a reputable , uh , immigration attorney or organization that can kind of guide you to what next step might look like. Unfortunately , unlike popular belief , there is no program in place for people to to move from being a TPS holder to a permanent resident and to a US citizen. There is nothing in place right now. That's why we are pushing Congress to put some pathways in place , starting with Senate Bill S 4814 , asking them to please co-sponsor to make sure Haitian TPS Soldiers specifically are protected for the next three years , in addition to the Senate Bill S 48 for 14. We have the Dream and Promise Act that was put forth once again by Congresswoman Garcia Silva Garcia that will provide a pathway to permanent residency for TPS holders , Dakar recipients and deed holders that will then give them a longer term pathway to become permanent residency. And if they do choose to become citizens , citizens of this country. So we are really outside of pushing Congress to put those things in place. There is no program currently available for people to be able to move from TPS to any other status , other than seeing an attorney that can go on a case by case basis to see what they might be eligible for.
S1: Not even asylum.
S2: Not even asylum. There is. There is no straight path from being a CPS holder to asylum and what we are seeing right now within the asylum system. One , the backlog to the forcefully pushing to remove people without going through the process. Three the high denial rates , especially for Haitians and other people of color. Um , so do they have obstacles? They have roadblocks every single step of the way. There is not a straight I apply for asylum today. Therefore I am safe because you have to go to the process and you have to to to either be receiving a , um , you know , an acceptance rate for that. So we are not seeing a positive way moving forward , to be honest with you , outside of pushing Congress to put in place protection , to have immigration reform , but right now , to protect the lives of those 1.3 million CPS soldiers total in the 350,000 Haitians , 6000 Syrian and also the Yemeni who are currently losing everything as well.
S1: Look , Earlene , how are you doing? I mean , how has your work at Haitian Bridge Alliance changed over the last couple of months? As as the community processes this?
S2: It's been incredibly hard. I have not been able to sleep. The other , um , community organizations from New York to Springfield , Ohio and Florida , in Indiana , in Massachusetts , in Maryland. We are all really trying to pull together to see what's the best way to move forward. But I will tell you , every time I talk to one of the other executive directors or or case managers across the country , it is very painful. People are crying. People are afraid of not being able to provide direct support for for the community. In addition to that , funding is very scarce. You know , since , uh , US Aids. No longer available for big organizations. Now , smaller organizations and community based organizations also are really in a hard place to find even the minimum of funding to be able to continue the work. We are seeing organizations disappearing because of the fact that funding is is so scarce in the moment where we need it the most , so it's painful. I haven't slept , uh , sometimes don't remember what food is because we are in a constant state of emergency and people are literally calling 247 asking for support. People losing their jobs. Now we are looking into how do we provide diapers and basic necessities and food and milk , uh , for folks , what what will it look like when school will open next week? Uh , next month in some places. How will people be able to go to school? They can no longer drive because most of them are losing their driver's license in addition to the work permit. What would that look like for the community? What would that look like for San Diego? That would what would that look like for Miami in other places? Those are things we are looking into. And and because of that , we don't have the luxury nor the privilege to rest or to sleep because we we are dealing with , um , with a painful , crisis created crisis that could have been avoided , that can still be avoided. Uh , if the government , President Trump specifically , um , is willing to look at this issue as a humanitarian issue at face value and provide protection for those who are in need right now. And that is in the best interest of the United States of America to provide TPS , to provide protection for Haitians right now , because that will create what we need for folks to continue to be here in the United States , to provide for themselves and also support their families and loved ones and communities back in Haiti to keep , uh , the region , the entire region , somewhat stable. Deportation , loss of employment will continue to increase this destabilization in Haiti and within the region at large.
S1: In the last minute , we have the big question I have is like , what can the larger community do to help in this time of need?
S2: We are asking every person to please push your senators to co-sponsor Senate Bill S 4814. We have the numbers. We have the script. Go to our website. It's Haitian bridge.org. We have it there. And at this point I'm also making a plea. We are looking for financial support. We never ask. We never come in in begging this way. But right now , as I mentioned , people need the support. We are trying to find more attorneys to be able to represent people fully , not just giving them a consultation , but represent them and at the same time trying to find ways to provide the basic necessities milk , diapers for those impacted people. So we are calling on everyone to please join us in the fight. This is the moment to do the right thing and be part of of fighting for for humanity. Part of fighting for democracy and part of being. What I will say of this new underground , aboveground railroad to protect lives in this moment.
S1: I have been speaking with Gurley and Joseph , executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. We'll link to resources at KPBS. Thank you so much.
S2: Thank you for having me.
