NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner, Manuel Castro, has condemned President Donald Trump’s termination of temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian nationals living in the United States (US).

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has posted a notice on the Federal Register terminating TPS for Haiti, effective February 3, 2026.

“The Trump administration’s decision to terminate Haitian temporary protected status protections puts tens of thousands of New York families at risk of separation and economic hardship,” said Castro.

“TPS is a vital humanitarian protection that allows Haitian immigrants to live and work legally while conditions in Haiti remain unsafe. We call on federal leaders to redesignate TPS for Haiti and provide clear, timely guidance so families can plan for their futures without fear,” he said, adding, “TPS brings stability not only to Haitian families, but to New York’s economy and cultural life.”

Castro said Haitian TPS holders contribute more than US$3.4 billion to the US economy.

“When we defend these protections, we strengthen our city and our country,” he said, stating that “New York City is home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the world”.

“Haitian New Yorkers are our neighbours, small business owners, caregivers, essential workers, and faith leaders who power the economic and cultural heartbeat of our city and state every day.”

Castro said that he, the mayor and the city of New York “will always stand by and support Haitian New Yorkers”>

The San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) also strongly condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Haitians.

“This decision is deeply troubling because, despite the termination, numerous credible assessments continue to confirm that Haiti remains dangerously unstable,” HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“For instance, ongoing reports from human rights organisations and US-based observers highlight pervasive gang violence, widespread displacement, political turmoil, and the collapse of essential state institutions.

“Additionally, Haiti’s longstanding vulnerabilities—exacerbated by the 2010 earthquake, which killed more than 2,000 people and subsequent crises—continue to threaten the lives and safety of ordinary Haitians.”

Jozef said more than 90 per cent of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, is controlled by gangs and to tackle the severe insecurity crisis, the United States, through the United Nations, has funded that Multinational Security Support (MSS), led by Kenya, and most recently transformed it to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF).

Jozef said that the United Nations Office of Migration announced more than 1.4 million people in Haiti have been displaced due to insecurity and gang violence.

Moreover, she said terminating TPS now places more than 500,000 Haitian nationals—many of whom have lived in the United States for over a decade—in immediate jeopardy of losing lawful status, “despite their critical contributions to local economies across healthcare, construction, caregiving, and service industries”.

“Let us be clear: ending TPS for Haiti is not a policy decision — it is an act of violence against immigrant families and their children who have called the US home for over a decade,” Jozef said.

“When the US Government knowingly chooses to send people back to a nation that they themselves have put on a category four do not travel due to the continued political crisis, that is state-sponsored cruelty on the eve of Thanksgiving,” she added.

Jozef said the Trump administration’s decision will also impact millions of Haitians back in Haiti who depend on remittances sent by relatives.

“We reject the idea that our communities must constantly justify their right to live, to work, to be safe. TPS is the bare minimum of protection, and even that is being stripped away. This is why we organise, resist and demand a world where migration is not weaponised against the most vulnerable.”

Therefore, Jozef urged Trump to reverse the decision to terminate TPS for Haiti.