Grand Rapids, MI – On the afternoon of Sunday, August 23, community members gathered in Richmond Park to express solidarity with Haitian immigrants. They condemned the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, focusing on the recent removal of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitian immigrants.

More than two dozen demonstrators attended the rally called by the Grand Rapids Coalition Against Trump. Protesters joined together in a spirited chorus of chants and drumming. They waved Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) placards reading, “Stop the mass deportation of Haitians.” The rally drew the support of passersby and the interest of neighborhood residents, some who emerged from their homes to listen to speakers,

Former Kent County Commissioner Ivan Diaz highlighted Haiti’s struggle against U.S. intervention, saying, “That revolution, its consequences for the world, and our country’s response to that revolution, have been ongoing for hundreds of years. It has brought us to the moment in history that we are in today, where that U.S. oppression has made it so that the people who are still in Haiti have to struggle each and every day just to get their basic necessities.”

Lukas Forester, with Grand Rapids Opponents of War, said, “Aggression here at home begins with aggression abroad.” Forester detailed the history of worker exploitation, economic sanctions, gunboat diplomacy, and military interventions to which the U.S. government has long subjected the Haitian people.

“These latest measures are simply a continuation of a long, concerted effort to treat Haiti as if it is a playground for Western interests,” said Sam Tunningley of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression.

Tunningley continued, “The move to end TPS is yet another example of the Trump administration and ICE appealing to the basest and most backwards tribalism in U.S. society. They need an enemy, whether it be immigrants, activists or some ‘other’ they can target, anything to distract from their own failures.”

Mario Pierre, founder of Union in Action for Haiti, expressed dismay over the removal of protections. He explained how the threat of deportation impairs people’s ability to work safely and to support themselves, ultimately jeopardizing the wellbeing of the entire country.

Pierre said, “The president says he is going to make the country great again? It is not great again, but the country is poor, not rich.”

Trump and ICE are leveling attack after attack on immigrant rights. This most recent racist campaign, attacking Haitians, is part of the ongoing repression by ICE. Grand Rapids organizers are resolved to resist, chanting, “When immigrants are under attack. What do we do? Stand up and fight back!”

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #Haitians #TPS

Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, August 7, Centro CSO held an emergency rally to demand the protection of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders. The rally was held at Belvedere Park Lake in East Los Angeles, where ICE kidnappings recently occurred.

Community members were able to learn about the recent attacks on Haitian immigrant communities. The rally then marched to the sidewalk where bystanders honked and raised their fists in support of the signs “ICE out of LA” and “Defend TPS.” The rally took place as part of the Legalization for All Network’s Week of Action, with the demand being to Stop Trump's Mass deportation of Haitian Immigrants, defend TPS, and legalization for all.

The Trump administration recently terminated Temporary Protective Status, leaving over 300,000 Haitian and Syrian refugees at risk of deportation. With the increase of racial profiling by ICE, the same question of ongoing attacks arises as to how this racial profiling will affect the Haitian and Syrian communities. In Ohio, Haitian immigrants are being summoned by the DHS to wear ankle monitors until their court proceedings.

Emilio Martin Del Campo of Centro CSO Police Accountability Committee stated, “This inevitably leads to an increase in killer ICE activity in these communities of working-class people.”

He continued, “We have seen ICE claim the lives of more than 50 people in the last year both on the streets and in detention camps, gunning down fathers in front of their children and killing mothers in so-called self defense.”

There has been an upsurge of ICE activities in the greater Los Angeles area after the unfreezing of the federal DHS budget. This has led to an increase in raids and brutalization amongst immigrant communities.

Briana Mosque from Centro CSO immigration committee stated, “When are my people going to be ready to fight back? Until it’s one of their own family members, will it hurt and matter?”

Verita Topete, from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) told the crowd, “This is why we continue the ongoing fight for legalization for all. Temporary programs aren’t enough. Working-class immigrants deserve to live, work, and keep their families together without fear of detention or deportation. We denounce this racist attack on Haitians and Syrian immigrants.”

If you would like to join the struggle to defend immigrant rights in Los Angeles and win Legalization for All, you can follow @CentroCSO on Instagram to find out about upcoming meetings and actions.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #Haitians #CentroCSO #TPS

Melbourne, FL – On Saturday, August 8, over 30 community members from throughout Florida's Space Coast gathered in Melbourn to a protest called by the Space Coast Immigrant Rights Alliance (SCIRA).

Florida contains the highest population of Haitian immigrants of all 50 states, with over 4000 of residing in Brevard County.

Demonstrators gathered in front of the office complex housing the office of Representative Mike Haridopolos, demanding the U.S. government reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, a policy recently cancelled by the Trump administration as part of its escalating terror campaign against immigrants.

The protest was attended by activists from groups including Brevard Youth for Democracy, Awake Brevard Action Alliance, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization Orlando, all of whom held signs and chanted facing the busy intersection.

Jack Apostos with Brevard Youth Democracy told the crowd “The fight doesn’t end here today and pick up at the next rally; it is 24/7, seven days a week until we win.”

A member of the Space Coast Immigrant Rights Alliance stated, “Haiti, an island nation founded by formerly enslaved Africans, has never seen a day of peace ever since they declared independence in 1804.” He continued, “There must be an end to 287(g) immediately. We cannot allow this constant cycle of abuse. We cannot allow a felon and his masked thugs to hide behind the police department and other local law enforcement entities.”

#MelbourneFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #Haitians

Portland, OR – On August 11, the immigrant rights organization Portland Contra Las Deportaciones held a rally to demand an end to attacks on Haitian immigrants as a part of a week of action called by national network Legalization for All. The rally was just a few blocks away from a Haitian church.

The rally came two weeks after the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for the roughly 350,000 Haitians covered by the temporary immigration benefit.

“This cruel decision reflects the racist and dehumanizing agenda of the Trump administration. We firmly stand in solidarity with the Haitians in Ohio facing mass deportation,” stated Cami Saunders of PDXCD. Organizers emphasized their campaign demanding Portland revoke the permit for the local ICE facility and the need for city government to take action to protect local Haitians.

“If the ICE facility remains with a permit, there will be no way to ensure safety for our local Haitian community affected by this ruling,” said Cruz Rivera, another member of PDXCD.

During the event, counter-protesters showed up to disrupt and spread hate. PDXCD organizers quickly responded by shifting to a visibility rally, which drowned out the uninvited. Cars honking in sympathy with the rally helped spread the message of “Legalization not deportation!” Haitian community members were seen waving from their cars.

Beatriz Ibarra, an organizer with PDXCD, summarized the event, “Even though agitators popped up, it was a successful event. We had members from the Haitian community drive by, and a few who were in the neighborhood joined our rally.”

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #PDXCD #Haitians #TPS

Tampa, FL – On Sunday, August 8,about 20 people came out to downtown Tampa to demand that Trump and ICE stop their attacks on Haitian immigrants, after the revocation of Temporary Protected Status.

Since the end of TPS, Haitians have been subject to cruel and inhumane treatment, such as being told to report for self-deportation or face humiliating measures like ankle-monitors. They have been targeted in large scale immigration raids in places like Immokalee, a rural mostly farmworker community in southwest Florida. The activists rallied under the slogans of legalization for all, stop the deportations, and protect TPS.

One in ten Haitians have had to flee Haiti due to the violence brought about by U.S.-led interventions that have destabilized the country, resulting in over 8100 killings last year.

5.7 million people face starvation, as cholera runs rampant due to a non-existent health system. To say that Haitians here do not deserve protected status is as absurd as it is racist. Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TAARPR) and Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee (Tampa IRC) organized this action, as part of a call to action by the Legalization for All network.

Emma Rice, an organizer with TAARPR stated, “Haiti has also suffered massive ecological disasters. Its original TPS designation came after the 2010 earthquake, when DHS granted temporary protections for Haitians already in the U.S. Yet UN camp conditions sparked a cholera outbreak that killed over 10,000 people. While the U.S. and its allies claim they want to ‘stabilize’ Haiti, their interference has fueled the gang violence, political chaos, and economic collapse we see today.”

Joe Nohava, of the Tampa IRC, spoke about Tampa Police Department officers participating in these deportations through its 287(g) agreement with ICE, asking, “Do we want our local police force to be part of this atrocity? Our city council and mayor could put an end to this- by passing an ordinance to end 287(g), and banning cooperation with ICE and immigration police, they could make this city a safer place for Haitian and all immigrants. They could do this tomorrow.”

All speakers and organizations present agreed to come out the next time Trump attacks the people. As emcee Yunqing Zheng put it, “Donald Trump has pissed a lot of people off, and so he creates his own enemies. It’s up to us to organize everyone he’s pissed off.”

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #Haitians #Haiti #TAARPR #TIRC #TPS

The Trump administration has made the cruel choice to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. This puts nearly 350,000 people in the crosshairs of the mass deportation machine. Given ICE’s track record, we need to take them at their word and take this as a serious threat.

It’s a campaign of intimidation, and the administration is playing with people’s lives. The decision is pulling the rug out from under families who have been living in the US for years—they have children, livelihoods, and community ties—they’re not going anywhere, nor should they. In Ohio, families are already getting letters telling them to “deport yourself, or else” and being degraded and treated like criminals. The real criminals are in the White House. They want to use panic and harassment to drive people out of their homes.

The Trump administration also wants our movement to stay silent about it. We call on everyone who can see this is wrong to drag these attacks into the light. We need protests and we need to be in the streets. It’s time to stand up and say no to Trump’s deportation machine.

Stop the mass deportation of Haitians!

Legalization not deportation!

#ImmigrantRights #ICE #TPS #Haitians #OH