Haitians in the U.S. under temporary protection in anxious limbo amid shifting immigration policies
Haitians who are in the U.S. legally under temporary programs say they are concerned about their ability to remain in the country as President-elect Donald Trump plans to end the programs and carry out mass deportations on Day One of his administration.
Haitians who are in the U.S. legally under temporary programs say they are concerned about their ability to remain in the country as President-elect Donald Trump plans to end the programs and carry out mass deportations on Day One of his administration.
Warrens Dolcine, 23, was a political science and international relations student at the Université d’État d’Haïti, when gang violence began to spread through Port-au-Prince, the capital, and the surrounding area, putting her and her mother in constant peril.
“The gangs didn’t take over in one day,” she said. “It was gradual. They worked on your mind first. They started kidnapping people in 2021, and I had to keep leaving my house to stay with my family. Eventually, it wasn’t safe for me or my mom anymore.”
The mother and daughter spent two years shuttling between their home and staying with family members outside of Port-au-Prince. As the violence escalated, they fled Haiti. After a tumultuous escape, Dolcine and her mother came to the United States under the Biden administration’s Humanitarian Parole Program, which currently creates a legal pathway for temporary visas for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.
Eligible individuals are granted permission to stay in the country for up to two years, allowing them also work. Applicants must meet specific criteria, including passing security screenings, and are required to have a U.S.-based sponsor. The program, known as the CHNV, aims to address the growing refugee crises in countries like Haiti.
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