A Haitian Mother Waits for Court’s Ruling on TPS — and Her Future

“Good morning, good morning, good morning. How are you?” This is Harlaine Dominique. She’s a travel nurse and mother to 16-month-old J.J. “I know this is your worst part. It’s all clean.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, Harlaine worked on the front line treating patients. Tens of thousands of Haitians like her work in health care. “It hurts deeply to know that just six years ago, I was a hero. Now I am considered a burden to this country.” Harlaine has temporary protected status, or TPS. It allows her to live and work legally in the U.S. Now, she and more than 300,000 Haitians could face deportation if the Supreme Court allows the program to end. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have criticized TPS for allowing migrants to stay in the country for years. “TPS is a program that was always meant to be temporary.” “It was temporary. It’s right in the name.” “It was meant to be temporary.” Harlaine is J.J.’s primary caregiver, though his father, an American citizen, is fighting for custody of him. Without TPS, Harlaine could be deported and separated from her son. “I can only imagine what that would do to my son. For him to lose his mom — he’s my everything. He depends on me. He needs me.” “I was probably 11. I was so skinny. I want to be skinny again.” Harlaine came to the U.S. in 1995, when she was 7 years old, and overstayed her visa. In 2010, she and her mother, Roz, were granted deportation protection after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing over 200,000 people. Since then, Harlaine has earned her degree, become a travel nurse and a mother. Her family’s status had been renewed several times due to the ongoing political instability and gang violence in Haiti. But TPS offers no pathway to permanent residency or citizenship. “TPS has allowed me to live the American dream that we all pray for — knowing that can all be stripped away from me keeps me up at night.” Harlaine’s mother, Roz, needs a kidney transplant. This year, Roz lost her access to Medicare after the Trump administration restricted access for TPS holders. With less than two months before the Supreme Court decides the fate of TPS holders, it’s unclear if their family will be able to stay together. “We’ve built a life here. We have our family. We’ve helped build this economy, this country. Stripping us of it is inhumane.”