Brooklyn, NY — Local officials, labor leaders, and community advocates gathered in Flatbush on August 27 for a “United with Haiti” rally, urging the Trump administration to grant a two-year extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants.
The event, held at Hillel Plaza and led by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, came just weeks before TPS for Haitians is set to expire on September 2, 2025. In June, the administration announced its intent to end the program, but a federal court in New York temporarily blocked the decision, ruling it unlawful and extending deportation protection until February 2, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security has said it will appeal, leaving thousands of Haitian families in limbo.
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Haitians were first granted TPS in 2010 after a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The designation, which applies to Haitians in the U.S. who arrived before January 12, 2010, has been extended multiple times under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Reynoso stressed that the rally was about solidarity, not politics.
“Today, Brooklyn is coming together to show that when you come for one of us, you come for all of us,” he told the crowd. “Removal of TPS is something that just should not and cannot happen.”
Brooklyn is home to an estimated 150,000 Haitians — part of the roughly half-million Haitian immigrants nationwide who risk losing protection if TPS ends. Reynoso pledged to work with local nonprofits to provide legal and social services to Haitian families.
Community leaders underscored the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in Haiti, where escalating gang violence and famine have displaced more than 1.3 million people. The United Nations reports that gangs now control 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, and nearly 5,000 people were killed between October 2024 and June 2025.
“Haitians cannot afford to go back to Haiti now,” said Pastor Samuel Nicolas. “What Haitians need now is healing.”
Council Member Farah Louis, who represents Flatbush, said the court ruling was a critical step but warned the fight is not over.
“Trump’s TPS termination is rooted in straight racism and xenophobia,” Louis said. “When they come for our Haitian neighbors with lies and hatred, they attack the very fabric of what makes Brooklyn strong.”
Council Member Rita Joseph highlighted the Haitian community’s contributions:
“We are builders, caregivers, entrepreneurs, educators, [and] essential workers. We have always given to this city and this country, and it is only right that this country honors its promise to us.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams urged continued unity.
“This is not about public safety; it never has been. This is about the erasure of people and communities. This is about demonizing immigrant communities,” he said.
The rally ended with calls for federal action to protect Haitian TPS holders and recognition that Brooklyn’s strength lies in its diversity and solidarity.
