Brooklyn Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, on Tuesday joined Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in leading a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.

Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life on Tuesday that the administration recently canceled TPS for Haiti “on questionable legal authority.”

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “The July 1, 2024, Federal Register notice extending Haiti’s TPS cited ‘grave insecurity, gang violence, socio-economic collapse, and environmental disasters’ as an ongoing crisis warranting protection. However, your February 2025 notice asserts that the 18-month period lacked justification.

“This decision ignores the overwhelming evidence that Haiti remains an unsafe place for anyone to return to,” they added. “These conditions cited on the July 1, 2024 Federal Register Notice have worsened. Armed groups now control over 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, terrorizing civilians with widespread kidnappings, sexual violence, and indiscriminate killings.”

The legislators noted that the UN reports that at least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, over 1,000 more than the total killings for 2023.

As of September 2024, the lawmakers said nearly half the population of the country— 5.5 million Haitians—require urgent humanitarian aid, with 1.6 million facing “catastrophic” food insecurity.

They said gang sieges and arson attacks have internally displaced over 1,041,000 people.

“The decision to rescind Haiti’s TPS designation is not a thoughtful policy in the best interest of the United States,” said the legislators, stating that, during his 2024 presidential campaign, “Donald Trump explicitly singled out Haitian TPS recipients in rallies and interviews.

“This rhetoric mirrored his 2017 termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, which a federal court blocked for violating the Administrative Procedure Act and failing to consider country conditions,” they said. “The administration’s current vacatur revives this legally dubious playbook, seeking to destabilize the lives of Haitian immigrants through shortened protections and heightened uncertainty.”

The legislators requested that Trump extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS for the statutory maximum of 18 months.

“Failure to extend and redesignate TPS would violate the INA’s requirement for data-driven decisions and abandon over 500,000 Haitians to a warzone the US government has explicitly deemed unsafe,” they said.

“Congress intended TPS to be both a humanitarian tool and a pragmatic response to unstable conditions abroad,” they added. “While DHS has discretion, that authority must be exercised with diligence, transparency, and fidelity to the law.” they wrote in the letter that was endorsed by more than 100 organizations.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer strongly condemned the Trump administration’s sudden freezing, and now terminating, of nearly all US foreign aid, including for Haiti.

Schumer, Democrat of New York, described the US President’s action as “a shortsighted mistake that hurts the people of Haiti, the America-Haiti relationship, and American interests in the region.”

He urged the administration to unfreeze and reinstate as soon as possible United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and foreign assistance for Haiti, which supports health initiatives, emergency response, food aid and security and more.

“Haiti is still recovering from the lingering after-effects of a monumental earthquake and ongoing political instability, including increasing gang-related violence, and that a reduction in US aid would only strengthen the hands of the forces of disorder in Haiti,” Schumer told Caribbean Life.

“The more we do to stabilize things in Haiti, the lower the pressure for those there to leave and seek refuge elsewhere,” he added. “US humanitarian and economic support to the Haitian people and security assistance to combat the gang violence are key to forging a safer and more prosperous democratic Haiti.”

Schumer noted that, just last year, USAID, the US government agency responsible for administering foreign aid and development assistance, disbursed US$317.6 million in aid to Haiti for emergency response, health initiatives—including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and preventing maternal and child deaths—agriculture, as well as food aid and security.

“Now, nearly all foreign aid for Haiti is frozen or has been terminated after the Trump administration abruptly shut down USAID and all of its programs,” said Schumer, stating that USAID’s closure will have “a significant impact on the people of Haiti, as well as American foreign policy interests.

“The US-Haiti relationship is critically important, and the Haitian community in the US – and especially in New York from Brooklyn to Queens to Long Island to Rockland and beyond – is a valued and vibrant community,” he added. “The United States, via USAID, has supported the people of Haiti for many years, providing vital assistance and strengthening the country’s food security, health programs, and emergency response.

“In times of crisis, the agency has continued its unwavering support through humanitarian assistance, emergency relief efforts and meeting the immediate needs of Haitians,” he continued. “Despite the lifesaving work of USAID, the Trump administration has taken drastic and damaging steps to shutter the agency and halted the organization’s critical humanitarian, economic, health, and security efforts.

“This is a mistake,” Schumer declared, urging the administration to “reverse course immediately and release foreign aid for Haiti ASAP (as soon as possible). The bottom line is that the aid we provide to Haiti is a win-win that helps both the people there and America’s best interests.”

The US Senate Minority Leader said USAID disbursed US$317.6 million in aid to Haiti in 2024, including: US$141.6 million for emergency response; US    $39.26 million for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment; US$19.2 million for agriculture; US$16.46 million for maternal and child health; US$12.45 million for food aid/food security assistance; and US$11.98 million for basic health services.

“The consequences of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s chaotic and illegal freeze of foreign assistance amidst an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Haiti cannot be overstated. This administration’s despicable actions have caused countless Haitians to go hungry, allowed contagious diseases to spread unimpeded throughout the country, and given gangs free rein over the capital city of Port-au-Prince,” Clarke told Caribbean Life.

“In little more than a month, the Trump administration has not only exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, but also caused irreparable harm to Haitian stability and US national security,” she added. “Truly, their cruelty stands without equal.”

New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, said the cuts to USAID funding will have “devastating consequences for Haiti, a nation already facing immense economic and humanitarian challenges.

“Reducing critical aid means fewer resources for healthcare, food security, and disaster relief—putting countless lives at risk,” added the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party. “I stand with the Haitian community and urge policymakers to reconsider these harmful cuts and invest in a future where Haiti can thrive.”

Late last week, Haitian-American New York City Council Member Farah Louis joined New York City Council colleagues, local and state legislators, community advocates, and clergy leaders in standing in solidarity with the Haitian community and demanding permanent protections for Haitian nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn, said the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Haitian by August 2025 “threatens to uproot families, disrupt livelihoods, and force thousands back to a country in crisis.

“Haiti remains gripped by widespread violence, political instability and economic turmoil, creating significant risks for those forced to return,” she said. “Armed groups control much of the capital, and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.”

In New York alone, she noted that more than 15,000 residents rely on TPS protections.

Speakers at Thursday’s rally called on the US Congress to act swiftly to provide permanent protections for Haitian TPS holders.

They emphasized that legislative action is essential to prevent mass deportations by the Trump administration.

“We will not remain silent while Haitian families in Brooklyn and beyond are threatened,” Louis said. “The Trump administration’s cruel decision to terminate TPS for Haitian nationals ignores Haiti’s dire reality and puts families who have built their lives here in jeopardy.”