Wilmington based Haitian nonprofit reacts to latest Trump immigration decision

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The US Supreme Court gave the Trump Administration an immigration win Friday.

The high court ruled that a parole program that allowed roughly 500,000 immigrants to live and work in the US can be suspended.

The Biden-era program allowed certain immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to be granted “parole” after arriving at the border.

They would get the status if they had an American sponsor and passed a security vetting.

President Donald Trump signed an order to end the program on his first day in office.

The legal question centered on whether revoked status could be done unilaterally, or if reviews should be done case-by-case.

Becky Graves is the executive director of the Wilmington-based nonprofit, Haiti Awake.

She said this Supreme Court decision will affect a number of people she has come to know as friends.

“They have been legally residing, working, living and their lives are now, kind of, thrown into uncertainty,” Graves said. “They have been contributing members of society and now they’re faced with the potential of deportation.”

Graves adds that it will also be difficult for many Haitians to return home, especially if they are from Port-au-Prince, as the FAA’s ban on US flights into the Haitian capital remains in place until September.