Ask Onix
Haitian family faces separation as US ends Temporary Protected Status
A 16th birthday celebration in Lakeland, Florida, masked a looming crisis for Marven, his sister Rochelle, and their mother Guerline-all reunited after a decade apart, but now facing potential deportation as the U.S. prepares to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitians in February 2026.
The reunion and the threat
Marven was adopted by Stacey Nageli Angulo, a Florida resident, after Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake. Years later, Angulo helped Guerline and Rochelle-who had remained in Haiti-secure TPS in 2023 amid escalating gang violence. The women, whose names have been changed for safety, now work legally in the U.S. but fear forced return to a country the UN calls a humanitarian catastrophe.
"I wanted a better life for him," Guerline said of Marven's adoption, describing the decision as "scarring" but necessary. Rochelle, now 21, recalled daily kidnappings in Port-au-Prince: "I've seen girls taken-some never returned." Both women receive graphic videos from Haiti showing arson, shootouts, and bodies burned in the streets.
"Do we want open borders? No. But deporting people to unsafe countries is unthinkable."
Stacey Nageli Angulo, Marven's adoptive mother
Legal limbo and political divides
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims Haiti's "environmental situation has improved," despite its own travel advisories warning citizens against visiting due to "kidnapping, crime, and civil unrest." Critics argue the move aligns with President Trump's broader immigration crackdown, prioritizing enforcement over humanitarian concerns.
Stacey, a former Trump voter, now calls the policy "unconscionable." Local Republican leader Sam Romain counters: "You built your life on temporary status. The rules were clear." Legal experts note few TPS holders will qualify for alternative visas, leaving many to choose between voluntary departure or going underground.
Monique's plea: "Just kill us"
In Miami, Monique-a bus driver and TPS holder for 16 years-faces deportation alone. Her husband is a permanent resident; her children are U.S. citizens or green-card applicants. "Haiti isn't safe," she sobbed. "Don't send us back. Just kill us here."
Broader implications
Over 1 million people from 20 countries have held TPS since 1990. This year, the U.S. terminated protections for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Legal challenges have delayed some endings, but Haitians' fate hinges on February's deadline.
Rochelle, who dreams of nursing, asks: "We were told America is safe. Now where do we belong?" Marven, clutching his sister in a family photo, whispers, "I don't know what I'd do without her."
Updated November 25, 2025 - Includes DHS statement and UN displacement figures.
