As the Haitian community reels from the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for almost 350,000 nationals by the Trump administration, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said on Friday, Aug. 7, that New York City was "forced by federal law" to part ways with city workers impacted by the policy but will “do everything in its power” to support Haiti TPS recipients. Mamdani said a recent Supreme Court decision required the city to review the work authorization of Haitian TPS holders and separate from any employees who have not established alternative paths to legal work. “The city will do everything in its power to support TPS recipients in this time of incredible instability, including through free legal consultations to assess eligibility for other forms of work authorization, as well as assistance navigating health insurance and other resources for employees and their families,” the mayor said in a statement. “Every affected employee is being connected with agency staff to understand their options, including non-disciplinary separation or resignation, pathways to reinstatement if work authorization is restored or another legal status is obtained, and support throughout this process,” he added. “The Haitian community is an indispensable part of New York City,” he said. “Many of these TPS holders have lived here for decades. They fled earthquakes, famine, war and political violence. Mamdani noted that only President Trump has the power to restore TPS or grant “Deferred Enforced Departure” (DED) to affected TPS holders. “Doing so would provide immediate protection while allowing families, employers and communities the certainty they need — and demonstrate the importance of an immigration policy that is both orderly and compassionate,” he said, urging Trump to “exercise his authority to benefit all New Yorkers and protect our economy and provide certainty for employers and communities.” In a special visit to the Caribbean community in Brooklyn on July 30, Gov. Kathy Hochul reaffirmed her support for Haitian TPS recipients. The governor, accompanied by her running mate, former New York City Speaker Adrienne Adams, said it was a “tragedy” that the US Supreme Court concurred with the Trump administration to end TPS for nearly 350,000 Haitians living in the United States. “I will continue to stand up to the cruelty the Trump administration is taking,” Hochul told Caribbean Life exclusively at her first stop at Allan’s Bakery on Nostrand Avenue and Maple Street in Brooklyn, urging Haitian nationals: “Don’t give up hope." “Our country is better than this,” added the governor, referring to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. When asked about the feedback she has been receiving from the Haitian community since the termination of TPS, Hochul, who was also flanked by the Haitian-born representative for the 40^th Council District in Brooklyn, Council Member Rita Joseph, said: “People are scared. They don’t know what to do.” The governor, who also visited Hello Bar across the street from Allan’s Bakery — where she spoke with patrons — noted that she has passed legislation to rein-in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York. Hochul recently launched the Office of Immigrant Trust (OIT) aimed at not colluding with federal immigration enforcement, such as ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). In making the announcement, Hochul and New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that OIT will be charged with investigating potential unlawful collusion by State and local government employees with federal immigration enforcement. The governor and James also sent letters to the 12 local law enforcement agencies in New York that currently have 287(g) agreements with ICE, informing them that state law requires they unwind the agreements by August 25. “Nobody is above the law,” Hochul said. “In New York, we will not tolerate the diversion of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement at the expense of public safety. With Haitians increasingly under siege by the Trump administration, Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke said she’ s standing firm with her “Haitian neighbors.” “As TPS for Haiti reaches its premature end and the latest chapter in Donald Trump’s cruel crusade against immigrant Americans begins, I stand with the nearly 350,000 Haitian nationals across the United States who we have come to call our friends, neighbors, and loved ones,” Clarke the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who co-chairs the US House of Representatives’ Haiti Caucus and Caribbean Caucus, told Caribbean Life. “Since the instant they first joined our communities, Haitian TPS holders have asked only how they might contribute to them,” added Clarke, representative for the predominantly Caribbean 9^th Congressional District in Brooklyn and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Clarke noted that Trump’s “hired goons” within ICE and the umbrella Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are “mobilizing to terrorize neighbors and tear apart their families. “They hope to spread fear far and wide throughout our communities until their distorted vision for America is all there is to see,” she said. But, in the face of such “un-American injustice, we will not yield,” Clarke vowed. Last week, James joined a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in urging the US Congress to extend TPS for Haitians. The attorneys general also urged Congress to pass legislation to allow for judicial oversight of TPS decisions “to ensure TPS holders are not subject to illegal deportations.” In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with stripping TPS from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants. The attorneys general said the decision threatens the nearly 350,000 Haitians who have spent years living, working and raising their families in the US, particularly in New York, which is home to one of the nation’s largest Haitian communities. They said the Supreme Court’s decision also makes it “significantly more difficult to challenge TPS terminations in court, threatening these protections for other vulnerable immigrants nationwide.” In a letter to Congressional leadership, the coalition urged Congress to pass legislation requiring judicial oversight of TPS decisions and extending TPS for Haitian immigrants who are facing deportation. “This administration’s attempt to claw back protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working across the United States has caused untold chaos and confusion,” said James. “All across our country, Haitian TPS holders have raised families, started businesses and made valuable contributions to our economy. “TPS was intended to help those who cannot safely return to their home country, and I urge Congress to strengthen our laws to protect TPS holders,” she added. James said the US has a long history of providing a safe haven to those who flee armed conflict, natural disasters and repressive conditions, and that Haitian immigrants were granted TPS protection in 2010 after a deadly earthquake. She said these protections have been extended over the last 16 years as the country faced additional natural disasters, political turmoil and public health outbreaks. Joining James in sending this letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.  US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, on July 23, urged Senate Republicans to “stand up to Trump’s vilification of Haitians,” demanding that they protect TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians living in the US. Speaking on the US Senate floor, Schumer, Democrat of New York, said Haitians are “a critical part of our economy, culture, and society. “The Haitian community is woven into the fabric of our great American family, but Donald Trump is trying to tear it apart by terminating Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status,” he said. “As someone who takes great pride in representing the state that is home to the largest Haitian population in the country, I know just how important the Haitian community is to the American economy, to culture, to society. “But, unfortunately, Donald Trump clearly doesn’t,” Schumer added. “Trump has vilified Haitians with his bigoted attacks and stereotypes over and over again. Now, Trump is trying to force Haitians who are here legally to return to the dangerous conditions they fled in Haiti. “Let’s be clear: revoking Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status will not only hurt them — it hurts our entire country,” he continued. “In New York, you can’t go into a hospital, nursing home, or clinic without seeing scores of dedicated health care professionals who are fiercely proud of their Haitian heritage. That’s true in cities and towns throughout the country.” Schumer said he had heard warnings that if Trump expels Haitian TPS holders, it will strain the US health system and create a gap in the caregiving workforce that will be difficult to fill. Additionally, the Senate Democratic Leader said that “sending 300,000 people to Haiti with little to no support will further destabilize an already severe humanitarian and security crisis on our country’s doorstep. “I urge all my colleagues to support our legislation and preserve Haitians’ TPS Status,” he said. “I’ll keep fighting for Haitian Americans in New York and beyond — anytime, anyplace.”