Their influx of Haitian immigrants has become a major political issue in the United States in recent months, as both former President Trump and Senator J.D. Vance have repeatedly asserted their influence in cities such as Springfield, Ohio.
It has become a political issue in part due to the Biden administration's parole process for four nationalities — Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan. Under this program, immigrants can come to the United States and obtain a two-year probation period with a temporary work authorization.
Some of them are eligible for protection from deportation through the Biden administration's readjustment of Haiti's temporary protection status this summer.
Mallorca returned to the troubled Caribbean nation, protecting thousands of people from exile
The Biden administration's announcement was made on Friday. None of these four nationalities would be granted parole, meaning they would have to apply for a separate immigration status or leave the country.
Why did this become an election issue?
The impact that the influx of immigrants has had on some US cities has become a 2024 election issue after former President Trump put it in the spotlight. Most notably, Trump has repeatedly claimed that immigrants eat Springfield Ohio dogs and cats, which authorities have denied.
“In Springfield, they eat dog, whoever comes in, eats cat,” Trump said. “They are eating the pets of the people who live there. And this is happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
But others point to its impact on social services.
Vance recently said he does not consider those who go through the parole program to be legal immigrants because he considers the programs illegal. Here's What You Should Know About Haitian Immigration to the United States
Vance says he will continue to call Haitian immigrants 'illegal aliens' despite parole status
This photo shows former President Trump and Haitian immigrants crossing the southern border. (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images and (Christina Hawes/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
How many Haitian immigrants are there in the United States?
According to the US Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), there are approximately 1,152,604 Haitian immigrants living in the United States.
This represents about 731,000 Haitian immigrants in 2022.
Where are they living?
Florida has the largest Haitian population in the United States, with approximately 511,621 residents, while New York comes in second, with a population of 196,698 individuals. Massachusetts has 72,677 and New Jersey has 69,069.
The top four counties for Haitian immigrants were Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties in Florida and Kings County in New York. Together, these counties account for 41% of Haitian immigrants in the United States.
Meanwhile, in Springfield, authorities estimate that 12,000 to 20,000 Haitians live in the city.
Under the CHNV program more broadly, during the eight-month period from January to August 2023, nearly 200,000 immigrants flew to the United States through the four-nationality program. 80% of them (161,562) came to the state Florida is in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained through a subpoena from the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News.
What did the Biden administration do?
The Biden administration expanded the CHNV program to include Haitians in January 2023, and since then, 214,000 Haitians have entered the United States under the program. Recipients receive two years' probation and work authorization if they have a sponsor and pass certain background checks.
However, the administration announced this month that those paroles would not be extended beyond that period, meaning Haitians and others protected by the program would have to find another immigration status or potentially leave the country.
The Biden administration, however, has redefined and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which protects designated groups of immigrants from deportation and allows work until February 2026.
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To be eligible, Haitians must be in the United States by June 3. DHS predicted that it would allow about 309,000 additional citizens to apply for TPS in addition to those already protected.
TPS provides protection to citizens deemed unsafe to return and is based on three reasons: ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster or “extraordinary and temporary circumstances”.
“Several regions of Haiti face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and landslides, and often suffers significant damage from storms, floods and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges result in ongoing humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a statement.
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This has led conservatives to fear that revoking parole status will result in a significant number of Haitians not leaving the U.S. after their status expires.
