Gemima Cadet, a 32-year-old who spent over half her life in Florida, recently made the difficult decision to leave her home in Lake Worth. After giving away her possessions and saying goodbye to the life she built, she and her mother traveled north, driven by the fear that their time in the United States was running out. Like many other Haitian immigrants, Cadet felt she had no other choice as the legal landscape for those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) shifted dramatically.
The current climate of uncertainty stems from a recent US Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for the Trump administration to terminate deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. While major, widespread immigration raids targeting Haitians have not been officially reported, community advocates note an uptick in arrests and a pervasive sense of fear. Thierry Jean-Baptiste, coordinator of immigration and integration at the Montreal Haitian Community Office, describes the situation as a nightmare, noting that he receives frantic calls daily from people desperate for guidance.
The pressure to leave is compounded by the situation in Haiti, where the United Nations reports that violent gangs control vast portions of the country, making return dangerous. Despite this, the second Trump administration has moved to end TPS, arguing that conditions in the Caribbean nation no longer justify the program. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that TPS was never intended to be permanent, characterizing it as a de facto amnesty program that has persisted for too long. The first deportation flight since the program’s end took place last week, carrying more than 160 passengers, with officials indicating that further flights are planned.
For those attempting to seek asylum in Canada, the journey is increasingly fraught with legal hurdles. A revised Safe Third Country Agreement, announced in 2023, mandates that asylum seekers must apply in the first country they enter, effectively barring those who cross illegally between official ports of entry. Jenn McIntyre, clinic coordinator of the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic, explains that the path to Canada is now extremely narrow. She warns that those who do not meet specific exceptions—such as having close family members already residing legally in Canada—face significant risks, including potential detention and removal if they are returned to the US.
The process is often inconsistent, even within families. McIntyre notes that immigration lawyers frequently have to deliver the difficult news that some family members may qualify for protection while others do not, depending on their individual history and the presence of an “anchor” relative. Despite these challenges, many remain undeterred. Fedora Mathieu, an immigration and refugee lawyer in Ottawa, observes that some individuals, knowing the risks and the potential for failure, are willing to try because they feel they have no other options and cannot return to Haiti.
Cadet’s own journey was marked by anxiety. She spent her two-day drive north on edge, monitoring social media for reports of immigration crackdowns and worrying about potential encounters with authorities. Although she had researched the process and carried documentation of her family ties in Ottawa, arriving at the border remained a nerve-wracking experience. She recalls the stress of waiting in a Buffalo hotel room, fearful that immigration enforcement might be nearby.
While Haitians currently top the list of nationalities requesting asylum at Canadian ports of entry, the overall volume of claims has dropped. According to the Canada Border Services Agency, as of August 9, officials had processed nearly 9,000 asylum applications this year, a figure more than 60% lower than the same period last year. For Cadet, the transition has brought a sense of relief. She misses the Florida coast, but she says that in Canada, she no longer feels she must fight for her basic human right to exist and receive fair treatment. The report also notes that but Cadet found herself wondering, “How much longer do you want me to put my life on hold?”. The report also notes that “The consequences are not just being not let into Canada,” she says, adding that those who are returned to the US will likely then be detained and deported. The report also notes that and books she loved to read, she’d already given away paintings that she’d poured her heart into. The report also notes that there was still one thing left that she loved and wanted to remember: the light, but even in a vacant room with empty hangers dangling in the closet. The report also notes that the way the sun streamed through her window gave her strength on many a difficult day. The report also notes that cadet and her mom were leaving their home and heading north toward an uncertain future. The report also notes that a road from upstate New York to Montreal became a well-known crossing point, during the first Trump administration.
