A deadline is looming for South Florida’s Haitian community as their temporary protected status expires on Monday. Local leaders rallied to keep the protections that have shielded the community from deportation for years. Paul Namphy, a Haitian activist and political director of the Family A ction Network Movement, said the situation is unjust. “We have to prepare for the worst. We have to prepare for the scenario where 350,000 of our sisters and brothers in our community who have been working hard, paying their taxes, will fall out of status,” said Namphy. Temporary protected status, also known as TPS, has shielded Haitian immigrants in the U.S. from deportation and provided many with work authorization. But after years of legal battles, those protections are now scheduled to end. “The society is better because of them. It is in the American national interest for our TPS holder families and other community members to be here,” said Namphy. “This is not a one-size-fits-all situation.” Meanwhile, immigration attorneys are urging TPS holders not to panic, but to immediately review their individual cases to see whether they may qualify for asylum, family-based status or another form of immigration relief. For Haitian nationals, TPS was set to end Friday. The short-notice ruling put a three-day pause on deportations until the case goes back to the same court on July 27. Haitians were first granted TPS in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed thousands of people. “If those thousands and thousands of TPS recipients are deported back to Haiti, they will return to a nation that is 10 times worse than when TPS was awarded in 2010,” said Miami-Dade District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien. The Trump administration argues TPS was created as a temporary humanitarian program, not a permanent path to legal residency. However, advocates said returning people to Haiti would place them in danger as the country continues to face gang violence, political instability and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a statement stating: “The termination of temporary protected status for Haitians is a heartbreaking and unnecessary decision. The House acted. The Senate did not.” “They keep our economy moving from days in to days out,” said Bastien. ...read more read less