Immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered Tuesday near U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody’s Palm Beach Gardens office, urging the Florida Republican to support a three-year extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. When some tried to deliver letters, Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies in the parking lot turned them away, according to WLRN; WPTV reported that deputies cited private property and did not immediately answer questions about the no-trespassing sign.
The demonstration focused on Senate Bill 4814, which would require the secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS, according to Congress.gov. The House passed companion legislation in April, but the Senate bill remains stalled, WUSF reported in September.
A temporary protection, now at issue
USCIS describes TPS as a temporary benefit that does not confer another immigration status or lead to permanent residence. Haitians had been able to live and work in the United States under the designation since 2010; after a Supreme Court decision in June, the Department of Homeland Security moved to end it, and USCIS confirmed the designation ended July 27, 2026.
The Palm Beach Gardens event is one of several reported efforts to build support for an extension, not evidence by itself of a growing protest movement. On July 23, immigrants, community leaders and policymakers rallied at Boston City Hall Plaza for the Senate bill, GBH reported. That event shared the aim of pressing lawmakers but took place in a different city and does not establish what happened at Moody’s office.
In September, advocates also gathered outside Moody’s Orlando office and delivered about 2,000 petition signatures, according to WUSF. At that event, Moody said she would keep their views in mind as she considered relevant legislation; her office has not responded to a request for her position on S. 4814, WPTV reported.
Estimates and community effects
Advocates cited estimates of roughly 350,000 Haitians nationwide and about 150,000 in Florida affected by the loss of TPS. Other figures in WLRN’s coverage put Florida’s Haitian TPS population at 158,000, while a separate WLRN/PolitiFact Florida report described about 330,000 people affected by the termination. The figures are not identical measures, and the reports do not make them directly interchangeable.
The rally also brought attention to the immediate strain described by Haitian community members. WPTV reported that Farah Larrieux, who said she could no longer work after losing TPS, wrote to Moody about the disruption to her life and fears of return to Haiti. Frantz David Eugene, president of the Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition, said churches were organizing food assistance and help with utility bills.
The central question for advocates remains whether the Senate will take up the extension. Moody has not publicly committed to S. 4814, while her Democratic opponent, Angie Nixon, has pledged to support it upon taking office, WLRN reported.
