Overview:
New York City is terminating Haitian municipal employees who lost work authorization after Temporary Protected Status for Haitians expired to comply with federal law, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced. He also urged President Donald Trump to restore TPS or grant Deferred Enforced Departure.
New York City employees who held Haiti Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will lose their municipal jobs after their work authorization expired July 24, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Friday.
Publicly available city data does not provide a complete count of workers by country of origin or TPS status. However, the city’s report, “The Newest New Yorkers, 2026,” which uses 2023 data, estimates that nearly 7,000 Haitian-born New Yorkers work in local, state or federal government jobs.
“The City of New York was forced by federal law, as recently decided by the Supreme Court, to review the work authorization of Haitian TPS holders,” Mamdani said in a statement Friday.
The statement follows Mamdani’s recent meetings with New York’s Haitian community and immigrant advocates as the TPS deadline approached.
At a July 31 meeting with Haitian leaders, the mayor discussed the consequences of the federal government’s decision and the city’s role in responding to the community’s concerns.
The meeting came as Haitian advocates and community members were already reporting heightened anxiety over the loss of TPS, which has brought on job losses, financial instability, family separation and the emotional toll of prolonged immigration uncertainty.
Mamdani also called on President Donald J. Trump to intervene, saying the president could restore TPS or grant Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), another form of temporary protection from deportation.
“Only President Trump has the power to restore TPS,” he said. “The President should exercise his authority to benefit all New Yorkers and protect our economy and provide certainty for employers and communities.”
Unlike TPS, which is a statutory immigration protection administered by the federal government, DED is a presidential directive that can provide temporary protection from removal and work authorization to designated populations. Mamdani is asking Trump to use that authority for Haitians affected by the end of TPS.
“The President should exercise his authority to benefit all New Yorkers and protect our economy and provide certainty for employers and communities,” Mamdani said.
“Doing so would provide immediate protection while allowing families, employers and communities the certainty they need,” he added.
Haitian workers and businesses face new levels of uncertainty across the country
The end of TPS has consequences that extend beyond immigration paperwork.
The Haitian Times has reported in recent weeks on the financial and emotional pressure facing TPS holders who have spent years building lives in the United States. For many, losing work authorization raises concerns about mortgages and rent, household finances, health insurance and other basic expenses.
Haitian-owned businesses have also felt the impact. Some that relied on TPS holders as employees and customers have been forced to lay off staff and are seeing sales decline.
In Florida, Jean Morisset, owner of Tropical Island Restaurant in Boynton Beach – about 60 miles north of Miami – had to terminate 9 employees who were on TPS and lost about 60 percent of their foot traffic.
“A lot of Haitian people, 30 [to] 40 of them would come in a big van and get food every morning,” said Morisset, who inherited the business from his parents. “Since [the work permit expiration], I have not seen them.”
In Maryland, senior pastor of the Word of Life Center, Roosevelt Toussiant, has seen attendance at Sunday service drop by more than half after the TPS decision.
NYC promises assistance for affected employees
In New York, economic consequences are being felt by employers and businesses that rely on Haitian workers, who are employed across sectors including healthcare, construction and hospitality.
“Their contributions to the health care, construction, and hospitality industries, among so many others, help drive our economic strength,” Mamdani said.
The mayor also pointed to the broader contributions of Haitian New Yorkers, noting that many TPS holders have lived in the city for decades, raised families and started businesses.
The city plans to connect affected employees with agency staff to review their options, according to Mamdani. Those options include free legal consultations to determine whether they qualify for another form of work authorization, assistance navigating health insurance and other resources, and information about possible pathways to reinstatement if their work authorization is restored or they obtain another legal status.
Mamdani said any employment separations would be non-disciplinary and that affected employees could potentially return to their jobs if they regain work authorization or obtain another legal status.