2 hours ago - Politics

South Florida businesses feel loss of Haitian TPS workers

Martin Vassolo

People attend a candlelight vigil for Haitians living in the US under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) immigration program in Miami, Florida on February 3, 2026. Late on February 2, federal judge Ana C. Reyes of the Federal District Court in Washington, blocked the Trump administration from endi — Miami hosted a candlelight vigil for Haitians living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status earlier this year. Photo: Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

South Florida's economy is feeling the loss of Haitian employees whose Temporary Protected Status ended in late July.

The big picture: The Trump administration's decision to end TPS will hurt Florida's health care, hospitality and tourism industries, advocates and business leaders have said.

TPS had protected Haitians and provided them work authorization since 2010.

Driving the news: In South Florida — home to the largest Haitian diaspora in the U.S. — some local home-care agencies have shut down, while businesses like hotels and nursing homes are now short-staffed, the Wall Street Journal reports.

About 93,000 Haitian TPS holders were part of Florida’s workforce as of January, according to an analysis by FWD.us, the Haitian Bridge Alliance and the UndocuBlack Network.
That includes an estimated 16,000 cooks and servers, 12,000 agricultural workers, and 4,000 nursing assistants.

Zoom in: Miriam Singer, CEO of Jewish Community Services of South Florida, which provides home care for Holocaust survivors, told the Journal that her organization terminated 18 Haitian TPS holders.

Two home-care agencies in Miami-Dade and Broward counties shut down after losing more than 80 TPS holders each, the Journal reports, citing the executive director of the Home Care Association of Florida.

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South Florida businesses feel loss of Haitian TPS workers

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