By the numbers | Haitian TPS holders pump $6 billion into US economy, groups say

On the eve of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti set to expire on Feb. 3, researchers and immigrant rights organizations released the most detailed economic data yet showing just how deeply Haitian TPS holders are woven into the U.S. economy and communities. 

The new fact sheet — released Jan. 27 by FWD.us, UndocuBlack Network, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance — finds that Haitian TPS holders generate an estimated $5.9 billion annually for the U.S. economy and contribute more than $1.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes. 

The fact sheet also reports that about 200,000 Haitian TPS holders are part of the U.S. workforce, filling vital roles in industries struggling with labor shortages. These include 15,000 agricultural workers, 13,000 nursing assistants, 8,000 caregivers and many more in critical service, transportation and manufacturing sectors. 

“TPS is non-negotiable because it is a lifeline,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. 

“We cannot force people to return to a burning home,” she added, referring to Haiti’s ongoing gang-plagued violence and associated humanitarian crises. “Ending TPS would force families into impossible choices, push U.S. citizen children into poverty and without parents and send people back to conditions that clearly violate both the law and basic human dignity.”

By the numbers: Haitian TPS holders’ economic impact

In addition to the $6 billion contributed nationwide, the researchers highlight the key industries relying on Haitian TPS holders: health care and home health care, agriculture and food production, transportation and delivery services, hospitality and food service, and construction and maintenance. 

Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, added that revoking TPS protections “is not just cruel; it is economic self-sabotage” that would weaken communities and strip billions from the U.S. economy. 

On a state-by-state basis, the researchers found notably that:

• Florida, as the home to the largest concentration of Haitian TPS holders, about 158,000, had more than $1.5 billion generated annually in the Miami metropolitan area alone.
• New York’s Haitian TPS holders, an estimated 40,000, contributed more than $1.1 billion annually to the regional economy, with a strong presence in home health care, transportation, food service and city infrastructure.
• Ohio, one of the newer states with a sudden influx of Haitians, is home to about 14,000 Haitian TPS holders who contribute $160 million annually to the state’s economy.

What is TPS?

TPS allows people already living in the United States to stay and work legally for up to 18 months if their homelands are unsafe because of civil unrest or natural disasters. Haitians were first granted TPS after the 2010 earthquake devastated the country, causing many people to flee as their homes and livelihoods collapsed.

During the Biden administration, the designation was expanded to cover people from more than a dozen countries, with the largest numbers being Venezuelans and Haitians – including those who arrived from other countries after Haiti’s president was assassinated in 2021.

The status can be renewed repeatedly, and individuals who want to remain permanently must seek other forms of immigration relief, such as asylum or family reunification, to obtain permanent residency. Critics say renewal had become effectively automatic for many immigrants, no matter what was happening in their home country.

Under the second Trump presidency, policymakers have sought to end it for people from numerous countries. Last November, the administration announced it would not renew TPS for Haitians, citing the State Department’s indication that there were “no foreign policy concerns” about ending the program. Lawyers challenged that assertion, pointing out that the U.S. has placed travel to Haiti at the highest level of alert. Judge Ana C. Reyes is weighing whether the government followed proper procedures and fully assessed current conditions in Haiti before terminating the designation. 

Her ruling is due Monday — one day before the current designation expires.

Children at risk too

Many in the Haitian community are hoping Reyes rejects the government’s finding. Families with TPS holders are feeling the anxiety and fear of possible loss of employment as early as Feb. 3 and deportations. The recently released fact sheet highlights that an estimated 50,000 U.S. citizen children have at least one parent with Haitian TPS, and that if protections are terminated, about 25,000 of those children could be pushed into poverty when their parents lose work authorization.

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