Thousands of Haitian immigrants across South Florida are facing new challenges as their Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, remains in legal limbo. Many are unable to renew expired driver’s licenses.
Community members say the issue is affecting their ability to work, care for their families, and move around safely, even after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS protections for Haitians earlier this week.
CBS News Miami spent the day seeking answers from state officials about what Haitians with TPS need to do to maintain valid driver’s licenses. The response: Florida is waiting on guidance from the federal government.
One Haitian woman, who asked not to be identified, told CBS News Miami she went with her husband to their local Department of Motor Vehicles office, hoping to renew his license. Instead, they were turned away.
“As a wife, I’m just anxious for my husband only because I am a U.S. citizen,” she said. Her husband is not. He is on TPS.
She showed us his driver’s license, which has now expired. The couple says they went to a Sunrise DMV location with documentation showing the federal court blocked the termination of TPS, but they were still denied.
“A lot of people were going there trying to renew their license, and really they were turned down,” she said. “My husband talked to the security guard, the staff — explaining, ‘I have my documents, I have the court paperwork showing that this termination is blocked. Why can’t I renew my license?”
CBS News Miami reached out to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which released the following statement:
“The Department is aware of the federal ruling that resumes the extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals. Currently, the Department is waiting for official guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before it can resume licensing.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a new alert on its website following the judge’s ruling, stating in part: “The Department of Homeland Security vehemently disagrees with this order and is working with the Department of Justice to determine next steps.”
Temporary Protected Status is granted to nationals of countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Advocates argue Haiti meets all of those criteria, citing widespread gang violence and an unstable government.
“A Haiti does qualify,” said Tessa Petit with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “There’s so many things they could’ve done to make Haiti a place for people to go back.”
As Haitians in South Florida wait for clarity, many are left navigating daily life without proper protections in place.
“It boils down to how are a lot of Haitians allowed to go to work right now with an invalid license?” the woman asked.
According to the USCIS website, work permits for Haitians with TPS have been extended due to the judge’s order. However, it remains unclear when, or if, driver’s license renewals will resume.
