Join Fox News for access to this content
Plus, your account will give you exclusive access to select articles and other premium content for free.
By entering your email address and pressing (Continue), you agree to the Fox News Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, including notice of financial incentives.
Please enter a valid email address.
Need help? Click here.
The influx of Haitian immigrants into the United States has become a major political issue in recent months, with both former President Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance repeatedly asserting the impact they are having on towns such as Springfield, Ohio. It has become.
The issue has become a political issue, in part due to the Biden administration’s parole procedures for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals. Under this program, immigrants arrive in the United States and are given a two-year parole period along with temporary work permits.
Some of these people are now eligible for protection from deportation due to the Biden administration’s redesignation of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status this summer.
Mayorcas moves to protect hundreds of thousands of people from deportation to troubled Caribbean nation
The Biden administration announced Friday that it would not extend parole for any of the four nationalities. This means they will have to apply for another immigration status or leave the country.
Why did it become an issue in the election?
The impact of the influx of immigrants on some U.S. towns was highlighted by former President Trump and became an issue in the 2024 election. Most notably, President Trump repeatedly claimed that immigrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio, which authorities denied.
“In Springfield, we’re eating dogs, we’re eating people coming in, we’re eating cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there. This is what’s happening in our country and it’s unfortunate.”
But others point to the impact it has had on social services.
Vance recently said he believes the parole program is illegal and does not consider people who enter the country through the program to be legal immigrants. Here’s what you need to know about Haitian immigration to the US
Vance says he will continue to refer to Haitian immigrants as ‘illegal aliens’ despite being released on parole
This image shows former President Trump and Haitian immigrants coming across the southern border. (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images and (Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
How many Haitian immigrants are there in the United States?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), there are approximately 1,152,604 Haitian immigrants living in the United States.
This is up from approximately 731,000 Haitian immigrants in 2022.
where do they live?
Florida has the largest Haitian population in the United States at approximately 511,621, while New York is a distant second with 196,698. Massachusetts has 72,677 people and New Jersey has 69,069 people.
The top four counties for Haitian immigrants were Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties in Florida and Kings County in New York. Together, these counties accounted for 41% of Haitian immigrants in the United States.
Meanwhile, in Springfield, officials estimate between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitians live in the city.
Looking at the CHNV program more broadly, in the eight-month period from January to August 2023, approximately 200,000 immigrants from all four nationalities entered the United States through the program. Of these, 80% (161,562) arrived in four Florida cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained through a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News.
What has the Biden administration done?
The Biden administration expanded the CHNV program to include Haitians in January 2023, and 214,000 Haitians have since entered the United States under the program. If the recipient has a sponsor and passes certain background checks, the recipient will be granted parole for two years and a work permit.
However, the government announced this month that parole would not be extended beyond that period. That means Haitians and others protected under the program could find another immigration status or leave the country.
However, the Biden administration also redesignated and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which protects designated immigrant groups from deportation and grants work authorization, until February 2026.
For more information on the border security crisis, click here
To be eligible, Haitians must be in the United States as of June 3. DHS projects that an estimated 309,000 additional citizens will be granted TPS applications in addition to those already protected.
TPS provides protection to nationals of countries deemed unsafe to return to and is based on three grounds: ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or “extraordinary and temporary circumstances.”
“Several areas of Haiti continue to face violence and insecurity, and many areas have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and landslides; “We frequently experience significant damage from storms, floods, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges create ongoing and urgent humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a release.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This has raised concerns among conservatives that revoking parole eligibility will not lead to significant numbers of Haitians leaving the United States after their parole eligibility expires.
