CHICAGO (WLS) — The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Friday the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians by two weeks, while Syrians were granted a brief one-week extension.
TPS provides individuals escaping natural disasters, conflict, or persecution the ability to live and work legally in the United States.
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The Obama administration first designated Haiti for TPS back in 2010 following a catastrophic earthquake. Syria was added to the list two years later as the country grappled with the onset of its civil war, which concluded in 2024.
The TPS for both Haitians and Syrians was originally scheduled to expire this past Friday. The impending expiration set off nationwide protests, including significant demonstrations in Chicago, home to large Haitian and Syrian populations affected by the looming loss of their legal status.
The new expiration dates for TPS are now set for July 24 for Haitians and July 17 for Syrians.
Affected individuals are at risk of deportation and may have already lost authorization to work and other privileges, including the ability to hold a driver’s license. Many of the hundreds of Syrian immigrants who call the Chicago area home are living in fear after losing their TPS protections.
ABC7 spoke with community leaders earlier Friday, before the extension was granted.
“There is a high level of frustrations, fear and uncertainty,” said Ali Tarokh, development, and communications director for the Syrian Community Network.
Tarokh said families are unsure what comes next.
“People are in limbo and they don’t know what’s going on to happen to them. So, the level of stress is high within our communities,” he said.
Nationwide, more than 6,100 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians could be impacted. In Illinois, about 260 Haitian families are affected following a federal ruling last month by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which sided with the Trump administration’s efforts to end TPS for immigrants from several countries.
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Darryl Auguste, a member of the Coalition of Haitian American Organizations in the Chicago Land Area, said the impact extends far beyond those directly holding TPS.
“And also, when we say effect, it’s not just core effect, the actual Haitians with TPS, but the ripple effects regarding these mothers who have children, who are citizens, they are affected by that. Those children. So, it’s more than what we say in terms of numbers of just 350,000 across the nation. It’s much larger than that,” Auguste said.
According to the U.S. State Department, both Haiti and Syria remain under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory. Advocacy groups say there has already been an uptick in immigration enforcement activity, prompting warnings for those who have lost TPS to prepare for possible encounters with authorities.
“We definitely advise folks to put together a family preparedness plans, make sure that they have, you know, their paperwork, all of their documentation in order,” said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights.
Despite the uncertainty, advocacy groups say there is still hope. They are urging lawmakers to act on Senate Bill 4814, introduced last month, which would require the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS through January 2029. A similar companion bill has already passed the House with bipartisan support.
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