Marie France Fleurival wrings her hands slowly as she recounts leaving Haiti in 2010 after a massive earthquake that displaced over 1.5 million of her countrymen.
Her home was in shambles, she remembers, and Hurricane Tomas came through soon after the earthquake, obliterating a shattered economy. She had a young son and husband.
President Barack Obama designated Haiti for temporary protected status, allowing those impacted by the natural disasters to live and work legally in the U.S. She's had the status since. Fleurival learned English, got her certified nursing assistant certification at Massasoit Community College and bought a house.
But now, that might all be upended if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with the Trump administration's efforts to end temporary protected status for Haitians living in the states.
"I can't even sleep at night by thinking about what can happen, what can happen to me, what's going to happen to my kids. You know, it's very stressful," said Fleurival, an assistant at True Alliance Center, a Mattapan nonprofit that advocates for Haitians.
On Wednesday, the nation's highest court will hear arguments as the Trump administration tries to terminate temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians. Greater Boston has the nation's third-largest Haitian population behind Florida and New York, according to World Population Review's data. Over 19,000 Haitians have TPS in Massachusetts.
It is unknown how many Syrians have that status in the Bay State, but there are roughly 6,000 Syrians with TPS nationwide, according to the federal government.
Cassandre, a Haitian paraprofessional for Boston Public Schools who also has TPS, is also watching the case.
"We built a life here. We have families here. We support the economy. We can't return back where we came from," said Cassandre. GBH News agreed to only use her first name due to her concerns of detention by ICE and deportation to Haiti.
Pastor "Keke" Dieufort Fleurissaint, founder of the True Alliance Center, helps Haitian immigrants with housing, health and legal services. He has been fielding nonstop emails, texts, and calls from TPS holders about what will happen next.
"There are 87,000 children, U.S. children, born to Haitian TPS holders," he said. "How could anyone let children go to Haiti like that — to a dangerous situation?" Fleurissaint said he's praying that conservative justices, including Amy Coney Barrett, will consider the weight of their decision, and how terminating TPS could affect tens of thousands.
"They have already established their homes, long-standing in this country, and they are positive contributors and productive citizens to this country," he said.
Last year, the Trump administration moved to terminate TPS for Haiti early, instead of its original end date. Lawsuits against that have wound their way through courts.
Recent confusion over TPS
Temporary protected status allows immigrants from designated countries to live in the U.S. for up to 18 months when their country is unsafe to return to. Anyone from those countries can apply if they're in the U.S. since a designated date. Those designations can be extended, and immigrants can apply for renewal.
Cassandre, who came to the US in 2020 from Haiti, said having temporary protected status is "everything" to her.
"We wouldn't be able to help our families in Haiti, our kids. We wouldn't be able to support ourselves," said Cassandre. She doesn't want her children to be deported to Haiti due to what she says is an inferior education system, widespread gang violence and unemployment.
Cassandre's anxiety is compounded by recent struggles her family has endured as a result of changing immigration policies. Her husband was laid off from his job as a truck driver after he wasn't allowed to renew his commercial driver's license, another change for TPS holders under the Trump administartion. The loss of his job meant losing thousands of dollars in wages per month. She is now the sole breadwinner of the family, paying the rent as well as supporting their young daughter and son.
Fleurival said she finds meaning in her work as a nursing assistant for seniors with Alzheimer's disease and dementia at Enclave of Franklin, an assisted living and memory care facility.
"I feel so helpful that I can do something for them, because they have lost everything," she said. Two residents only allow her to give them showers, and frequently ask when she is coming back.
"I love them. Sometimes they can't express themselves. They just show you what they want, and then you just need to translate what they what," she said.
A few weeks ago she was asked by her employer to provide proof that she is in the process of acquiring TPS, even though she already has it. Fleurival thought Enclave didn't understand that she could still work if her work permit had an end date of February, similar to so many other TPS holders, as a federal judge had ruled.
On April 16 — her birthday — she was told she was being removed from the schedule because her work permit expired in February.
"I miss them," she said of the seniors she worked with, wiping her face.
When GBH News asked the employer about the Fleurival's situation. Len Hartwell, executive director at Enclave, said in an email, "While we cannot comment on individual personnel matters, our company takes these responsibilities seriously and is committed to complying with all federal employment eligibility requirements."
However, Fleurival said the company since called her to apologize after GBH News reached out, and told her she will be allowed to resume work.
Elsewhere in recent months, there's been confusion among other caregiving employers related to a federal judge's decision around TPS holders. In February, Tribute Home Care laid off three Haitian TPS holders after misinterpreting a judicial order. They were hired back after GBH News' reporting.
At Logan Airport, airport workers and their union 32BJ SEIU have sued the Trump administration following the revocation of the workers' "customs seal" — a type of security clearance needed to get to planes where they clean, and other parts of the airport.
Haitian TPS holder Eddy Simeon, a cabin cleaner, spoke to reporters during a rally held by the TPS Committee in Boston last week.
Simeone hopes a favorable Supreme Court decision may change his future.
"I pray to God that the justices understand that most people who came here and work here help the nation in many ways," he said.
At least 41% of TPS holders in the US own their own homes, according to 2021 research from the American Immigration Council. In Massachusetts, Haitians in particular contribute $481 million to the local economy, according to social welfare nonprofit FWD.US. Haitian nationals paid $88 million in annual federal and payroll taxes and $59 million in annual state and local taxes as of early 2025, according to the same data.
"This will definitely create a negative impact on the American economy," said Fleurissaint. "It creates a nightmare for those families," he said. "Spiritually, financially, mentally."
History of Trump's efforts to end TPS
The Department of Homeland Security has voided temporary protected status designations for at least a dozen countries.
A New York judge blocked the Trump administration's effort to end TPS last year. In response, the government issued a Federal Register notice saying the protections would expire in February 2026, and that the country no longer met the conditions to continue it.
In Washington D.C., District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes ruled in favor of Haitians, temporarily allowing TPS holders to stay pending further judicial review. She also ruled that the TPS holders could continue to work even if their work authorizations mentioned a February termination date, and would be protected from detention and deportation. A circuit court upheld that.
Recently, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation led by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to extend temporary protected status for Haitians to April 2029. But the measure has a long way to go in the Senate and faces a likely veto from President Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security told GBH News that TPS for Haitians was granted after the earthquake 15 years ago and it "was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades."
"Temporary means temporary and the final word will not be from activist judges legislating from the bench," continued the written statement. For Syria, the department said conditions "no longer prevent their nationals from returning home."
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