'Cruel and callous': Mass. political leaders condemn Trump's move to end TPS for Haitians

Massachusetts' elected officials are urging President Trump's to reverse his decision to end an immigration program that protected around half a million Haitians living in the U.S..

The Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, allowed Haitians to stay and work in the country legally because of instability in their homeland, but provides no path to citizenship.

On Thursday, the president rolled back an extension of TPS for Haitians through 2026 that former President Biden set, and announced the status would expire by this August.

"There are many Haitian immigrants living and working in Boston under TPS who have full legal rights to be in this country and deserve that protection," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a post on Facebook and BlueSky Friday.

She called the move illegal, saying the status determination is based on a review of the dangerous circumstances in Haiti and "cannot be shredded for political gain."

Wu reminded Boston's residents that TPS is still in place for now. She said her office will work with the Haitian community to discuss "the best legal path to protect the program."

Massachusetts is home to one of the country's largest Haitian populations, with many residents having fled political violence and natural disasters in their home country. And if they were to return, Dieufort Fleurissaint said they would face a nation controlled by gangs.

"It is sending those people to their graves. That's basically what happened because those people will be prey for those gangs," said Fleurissaint, a leader in the city's Haitian community known as Pastor Keke. "At the same time, they wouldn't have any space to reside, to live. They have no places to go."

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who is Haitian, said Trump's plan is a "cruel and inhumane" pathway to political gain.

" The president isn't delivering on decreasing the price of eggs, and instead he's just clenching down at the most vulnerable among us," she told WBUR. "It's a tired, tired playbook that we've seen before, and it's devastating for communities that are, you know, doing everything they can to be, you know, participating members of society."

She urged Haitians in the U.S. under the program to consult with a lawyer to learn their rights and options.

Last month, the Trump administration also ended the designation for Venezuelan migrants, leaving them vulnerable to deportation in the coming months. Several groups have filed lawsuits to block the move.

Louijeune said she expects Trump's order to end TPS for Haitians will also face court challenges. (A judge blocked Trump from ending the protections for Haitians during his first presidential term.)

On Thursday night, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat, along with her fellow chairs on the House Haiti Caucus, urged the president to reverse what they called a "cruel and callous decision."

“Haitians who have lived in the United States for up to 15 years, raised children, started businesses, and contributed to their communities are at risk of deportation for no reason other than being Haitian," Pressley wrote, with U.S. Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-12) Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20). "We should be doing everything possible to save lives and bring stability and safety to Haiti — not throwing vulnerable people in harm’s way."

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Trump's decision is "shameful" amid "unfathomable violence and instability" in Haiti.

"These individuals have legal status and are actively contributing to our communities, something I’ve seen firsthand in Massachusetts," she said in a statement Friday. "The United States made a promise to these families, and the President should honor that promise and reverse this decision immediately.”

With reporting from WBUR's Newscast Unit and Simón Rios