More than half a million Haitians in the United States will face the threat of deportation in a few months, after the Trump administration revoked an extension of Temporary Protected Status that had been put in place by the Biden administration.

The Trump administration has rolled back an 18-month extension of legal immigration protections for over half-a-million Haitians temporarily residing in the United States, creating uncertainty and anxiety as their homeland continues to veer on the brink of a violent collapse led by armed gangs.

Springfield residents are braced for a shift after the Trump administration announced it will end protected status for Haitian immigrants in August.

Dieufort Fleurissaint, affectionately known as “Pastor Keke,” hasn’t been able to return all the calls that began inundating his phone Thursday afternoon. Most are pleas for guidance plagued by uncertainty.

Advocates and TPS holders said that the Trump administration's move puts Venezuelans who contribute significantly to local economies at risk of deportation back to a country with unsafe conditions.