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As TPS ends, Eastern Washington groups scramble to help Haitian, Syrian immigrants
Community and faith leaders in the region are pushing Congress to act, warning the ruling will ripple far beyond immigration policy.
By Rodric Hurdle-Bradford | FāVS News Reporter
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants has left workers, families and friends from those countries — spread across the Pacific Northwest — uncertain about their future in the U.S.
Despite ongoing wars, uprisings and regional conflicts in Haiti and Syria, the Trump administration argues that the immigrants’ use of temporary status has been overextended, saying it believes conditions are now safe enough for the TPS population to return to their native countries.
“This decision has consequences far beyond immigration policy,” said Luc Jasmin II, founder and chief executive officer of Jasmin Group, a social consulting firm in Spokane that assists with community building and citizen resources. “This decision affects families, employers, health care systems and communities around the country. We believe we have a responsibility to speak up and help people understand what is happening.”
Born in Boston to Haitian immigrant parents, Jasmin speaks from personal experience. His firm, Jasmin Group, works with immigrant, refugee and multicultural communities across Eastern Washington, helping them navigate resources and build economic opportunity.
Jasmin Group is working with more than a dozen local clients, nonprofit organizations, faith leaders and community partners to distribute accurate, direct information about the TPS program. The coalition has organized postcard campaigns to legislators and is urging residents to contact their elected officials, while also pushing the Senate to pass the TPS extension bill despite the ruling.
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed bipartisan legislation to extend TPS protections for Haiti through 2029.
“Our focus has been on ensuring families have accurate information, while mobilizing community support and advocacy,” said Jasmin. “We believe every person deserves the opportunity to contribute, belong and succeed, regardless of where they were born. While I was born in the United States, our family’s experiences navigating immigration, cultural identity and building opportunity have shaped both my life and the mission of our organization.”
Haitians in health care
Supporters of the administration and the Supreme Court’s decision cite political and personal beliefs. But Jasmin and other TPS advocates say the ruling’s unintended consequences will affect all U.S. citizens, not just immigrants.
One of the first areas likely to feel the effect of the TPS program’s end is health care, where an estimated 111,000 Haitians work nationally, making them one of the largest foreign-born groups serving hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes and home health care agencies.
The consequence of fewer Haitians in health care would affect both urban and rural health care environments, in all regions of the country. For regular users of the health care system, the thought of over 100,000 fewer employees in the health care sector is frightening.
“The health care experience is already bogged down enough by red tape, lack of personnel resources and pricing instability,” said Louise Meekins of Vancouver, Wash., who has had to tend to a variety of serious health problems over the last dozen years. “The lack of foresight in this ruling will come back to haunt the older demographic sooner than later.”
Long-term legitimacy?
Despite the ruling, questions remain about the long-term legitimacy of ending TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. Could it be reinstated under a new president after the 2028 election? Even so, many political analysts and immigration experts believe that by then, the damage will already be done. The pushback extends well beyond Washington state to communities across the country.
The National Immigration Forum, originally founded as the American Immigrant Conference, has long been a key player in shaping immigration policy. The organization helped drive passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and continues to work on legislation and public outreach through workforce and citizenship programs.
“The decision underlines the need for long-term immigration solutions,” said Jennie Murray, CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “Congress should step in and work for immigration pathways for many of the long-term U.S. residents who have been here under TPS — working and contributing to American communities for years. The imminent termination of TPS for Haiti will disrupt the lives of thousands of beneficiaries, harm the communities that have integrated them, and remove essential workers from sectors of the American economy that rely on their work.”
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