By Felicia J. Persaud
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. August 3, 2026: For years, they were impossible to miss. “Haitians for Trump” proudly promoted Donald Trump as the best choice for Haitians and America, insisting that conservative values, border security and economic opportunity outweighed any concerns about his rhetoric toward immigrants. They stood by him after he falsely claimed Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the pets.” They stood by him when he promised the largest mass deportation operation in American history. Now, more than 350,000 Haitians who had been protected under Temporary Protected Status, TPS, are facing deportation following the Trump administration’s successful effort to terminate the humanitarian program.
And a simple question hangs over the Haitian-American community: where are the Haitians for Trump now? One of the most visible supporters has been Madgie Nicolas, who identifies herself as chair of Haitians for Trump Official, describing the organization as “The Official Haitians for Trump Coalition of Donald J. Trump for President.”
To her credit, Nicolas has not abandoned Haitian TPS holders. In recent weeks, she publicly thanked Congressman Mike Lawler for supporting Haitian TPS and tagged Homeland Security Markwayne Mullins and Donald Trump, urging continued efforts on behalf of Haitian beneficiaries. She also forcefully criticized conservative commentator Megyn Kelly after Kelly told Haitians to “go home.”
“As a first-generation American, a conservative, I expect institutional logic,” Nicolas wrote, reminding Kelly that TPS was created by Congress, that Haitian beneficiaries entered the program legally, passed extensive background checks and contribute billions of dollars in taxes.
Her frustration is understandable, but it also raises an uncomfortable question. If TPS holders deserve protection today, why was there so little public criticism from many of Trump’s Haitian supporters when he repeatedly promised mass deportations during the campaign? Why was there so little outrage when he portrayed Haitian immigrants as a public menace in Springfield, Ohio? Why did so many believe those policies would somehow stop short of their own community?
Miami immigration attorney and longtime Trump supporter Mayra Joli likewise joined Nicolas in the past in urging the administration to extend TPS for Haitians. Yet those appeals have so far failed to change the administration’s course.
On July 27th, Temporary Protected Status officially ended for more than 330,000 Haitians after the Supreme Court allowed the administration to move forward with terminating the program. The Department of Homeland Security defended its decision by arguing that conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to permit the safe return of Haitian nationals and that TPS “was never intended to become a de facto asylum program.”
Yet at the very same time, the U.S. State Department continues to advise Americans not to travel to Haiti, maintaining a Level 4 advisory because of kidnapping, widespread gang violence, political instability and limited access to emergency services.
Those two government positions are difficult to reconcile. If Haiti remains too dangerous for American citizens to visit, many Haitians ask, how can it suddenly be safe enough for hundreds of thousands of people to be deported there? The consequences reach far beyond immigration policy.
DATA
According to a recent fact sheet by FWD.us, the UndocuBlack Network and the Haitian Bridge Alliance, approximately 158,000 Haitian TPS holders live in South Florida alone, where they have become essential workers in healthcare, hospitality, construction, transportation and senior care.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava warned that ending TPS would separate families, weaken the regional economy and deepen labor shortages. “Their labor is absolutely essential,” added Paul Christian Namphy of the Family Action Network Movement, particularly in healthcare and elder care across South Florida.
The House of Representatives has already voted to extend Haitian TPS for three additional years. The bill now sits awaiting action in the Senate. Meanwhile, thousands of Haitian families are living in uncertainty. Many are reporting to mandatory immigration check-ins wearing ankle monitors while wondering whether they will be allowed to remain in the only country their children truly know.
Every American has the right to support the political candidate of their choice; that is democracy. But democracy also carries responsibility. When the policies you champion begin hurting the very community you promised would benefit, silence is no longer simply a political choice. It becomes part of the story.
Today, more than 350,000 Haitians face an uncertain future. Parents are wondering whether they will lose the jobs they have held for years. Families are wondering whether they will be separated. Churches, employers, and community organizations are scrambling to help those who suddenly find themselves at risk of deportation.
And yet, many of the loudest voices that once urged Haitians to trust Donald Trump have become remarkably quiet. Perhaps they are working behind the scenes; perhaps they still believe the administration will change course; perhaps they simply do not know what to say. But this is precisely the moment leadership is tested. Not during campaign rallies; not while celebrating election victories – but when the people who believed you are frightened and looking for answers.
The House of Representatives has already voted to extend Haitian Temporary Protected Status for three more years. The bill now awaits action in the Senate. Until then, more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants remain in limbo.
And so the question remains – not out of spite, but out of accountability: where are the Haitians for Trump? Because if a political movement asks for a community’s votes, its loyalty and its trust, then surely that community has the right to expect its leaders to speak just as loudly when that same community stands on the brink of losing everything.
Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.
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