Panic grips Haitians amid removal push

The 500,000-strong Haitian community in the United States is in a state of panic as the Trump administration pushes to deport those who fled here after a huge 2010 earthquake.

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"I came here seeking refuge, and now they want to kick me out," said Clarens, who obtained temporary protected status (TPS) following the quake that levelled much of his Caribbean island home.

"I believed in the American dream, and I thought I could bring the rest of my family here. I thought we would be able to thrive in the United States."

In Miami and New York, where the Haitian diaspora is largest, fear of being returned to the destitute, violent, largely lawless and gang-ridden island is widespread.

"It's total panic, the whole community is suffering because even if your temporary status has not yet been revoked, ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents are on the streets and can arrest anyone," said Clarens, which is not his real name.

After cancelling an extension of the protective status granted to 520,000 of Clarens' countrymen to February 2026, Mr Trump definitively cancelled it in June.

While a New York court has blocked Mr Trump's move, Haitian-American immigration lawyer Stephanie Delia warned the reprieve will likely be short-lived.