Plan to end protections for Haitian immigrants could be ‘huge detriment’ in Waltham, says business leader

The Trump administration’s plan to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for Haitians living in the United States could have a significant impact on Waltham businesses and the level of services they provide.

Molyna Richards, executive director of the Waltham Chamber of Commerce, told the Waltham Times that the effects probably won’t be visible for at least a few weeks, but the city should brace itself for the noticeable changes.

“By next month I think it will be a huge detriment,” she said.

Haitians are prominent in service occupations, including home healthcare, hotels, home delivery and elder care. 

Around 155,000 Haitians in the United States were afforded Temporary Protected Status between 2010 and 2021 because of natural disasters and political instability in their home country. President Trump has moved to rescind TPS for Haitians. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that Trump could end TPS without judicial review. The administration officially ended the status July 27, although ongoing court appeals could delay its implementation further. 

Richards predicts two levels of effects from the ending of TPS. 

First is the effect on Waltham’s Haitian population, some of whom could be deported back to Haiti and some of whom could experience discrimination from employers who don’t want to risk the uncertainty of employing individuals who could be under extra scrutiny from immigration authorities. “There may be a fear that if you keep a Haitian worker, your business could be exposed to ICE scrutiny,” Richards said. 

The second is the impact of losing Haitian workers in key service areas — healthcare, senior living, hotels, and janitorial and cleaning services, an impact that could be felt by customers and employers. 

Richards said it’s difficult to assess how impactful the end of TPS will be in Waltham due to the absence of data on how many Haitians reside and are employed in the city. 

Even before the ending of TPS for Haitians, fear among Waltham immigrants was running high, Richards said. 

“I have had several [Chamber of Commerce] members tell me about employees who went back to their home countries and were not allowed back in” to the United States. 

She said some members have also told her that Haitian employees were detained by U.S. officials when they tried to return to the United States after visits to their home countries.

Richards said she plans to work with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to develop information and training for employers on how to handle immigration issues and protect employee rights.