Haitian community in Charleroi prepares for the end of Temporary Protected Status
An estimated 300,000 Haitian immigrants, including a large population in Charleroi, are at risk of losing Temporary Protected Status, a legal designation that allows them to live and work in the United States.
TPS is set to end today, forcing Haitians to return to their home country – or at the very least to leave the U.S.
The protected status is granted to people from specific countries that are in conflict or are facing natural disasters. Haitians were initially granted TPS after an earthquake in 2010 killed more than 220,000 people. The Biden administration extended TPS to Haitians in 2021 after the assassination of Haiti’s president, which has led to violence and government instability.
Many of the refugees who fled the small Caribbean island have no homes to return to in Haiti, and are fearful for their families’ safety if they return.
Upwards of 3,000 immigrants have settled in Charleroi in recent years, a majority of them from Haiti, although that number has declined amid changes in legal protections for immigrants under the Trump administration and closures of some Mon Valley businesses.
“As for right now, everybody’s on hold to see what happens,” said Jimmy Alexandre, who operates the Haitian Resource Center in downtown Charleroi. “A lot of people with TPS have already been let go from their jobs. Business owners don’t want to wake up on Feb. 3 with no workers, so they’ve already let workers go a month or two months ago.”
Many have left the area already because not having employment “removes any incentive to stay,” he said.
If TPS is not extended, Haitian immigrants could potentially be arrested, detained, or put in removal proceedings, unless they have already applied for some other form of relief, Alexandre said.
The expiration of TPS is also fueling concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could step up enforcement efforts in communities with Haitian populations, including Charleroi.
Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning said he is not aware of any planned ICE activities, but he noted, “(ICE) isn’t required to work with local police, so we don’t know about their activities.”
He said he has been in contact with officials from Springfield, Ohio, where an estimated 15,000 Haitians have settled, and where officials are concerned about potential ICE raids.
Alexandre said Haitians have helped to rebuild Charleroi’s economy and positively impacted the local community, calling their contributions “a 100% net positive for the town.”
“We’re all living and working and paying taxes, and purchasing houses and cars and helping the local economy,” he said. “It’s a very complicated situation. We just want to see how it ends.”
A federal lawsuit challenged whether the Trump administration unlawfully terminated TPS for Haitians. The judge in that case was expected to render a decision before the order took effect; however, as of press time no ruling had been issued.