Central Florida’s sizable Haitian immigrant community is educating and preparing itself after seeing Venezuelans here lose the temporary protected status, or TPS, granted to them by the federal government that shields them from deportation.
Since the removal of TPS for tens of thousands of Venezuelans earlier this month, leaders in Central Florida’s Haitian community have been holding multiple Know Your Rights sessions to fight misinformation and calm fears.
Right now, about 295,000 Haitians in Florida have protected status – which allows them to work and live in the United States. It was granted because they face violence and political repression in their home country, and it runs until 2026. Central Florida has the second largest Haitian community in Florida, with about 41,000 people who have immigrated here or are the children of immigrants, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.
Anne Piervil, an immigration attorney with the Haitian Lawyers Association, has been leading seminars to inform Haitians about their constitutional rights – and the steps they should take to check and update their legal status. She said Central Floridians run into their Haitian neighbors everywhere – especially in the region’s schools and the hospitality and health-care industries.
“There’s a large Haitian community,’’ Piervil said. “There’s over 40,000 Haitians living in Central Florida. Including myself. I am the child of an immigrant. I am born and raised in Central Florida. And so we have a thriving Haitian community here.”
Pastor David Pironneau leads Kingdom Church Kreyol in Pine Hills, home to Central Florida’s largest community of Haitian immigrants. His church has been hosting sessions to present accurate information to congregants about immigration law and policy. He said his greatest challenge is fighting disinformation that his congregants get from some media sources within the community. He added that it’s also been a challenge to lead his congregation through an uncertain time.
“There’s a lot of fear,’’ Pironneau said. “There are people who are staying in hiding. You have people in our congregation for example who have not attended service or they went as far as deciding to stay in hiding in their homes.”
Immigration attorney Piervil has been working with the Greater Haitian American Chamber of Commerce and other groups to try to inform Haitians that temporary protected status is still in force for those who qualify. She’s urging members of the community to not panic, but to check their legal status and with an attorney if they are unsure.
“First we want to educate the community to know that [TPS] is still active,’’ Piervil said. “So at this moment, it’s not canceled. At this moment, you can still apply up until Feb. 3 of 2026. And we’re letting the community know that we will fight back, just how we see the Venezuelan community is uniting to fight back against this.’’
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