ORLANDO, Fla. — Haitian community leaders and immigrant rights advocates will rally outside U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody’s Orlando office Wednesday morning, calling on Florida’s senators to support renewed Temporary Protected Status protections for Haitians and oppose deportations to Haiti.
The demonstration is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, outside Moody’s office at 201 S. Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando. The address is listed as the senator’s Orlando district office.
Organizers with the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition, joined by the Florida Immigrant Coalition and community allies, say they plan to deliver a petition containing more than 2,000 signatures after speaking with members of the media.
The groups are urging Moody and fellow Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to support S. 4814, legislation introduced by Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts that would require the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. The bill was introduced June 17 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
TPS allows qualifying nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to remain temporarily in the United States and receive work authorization.
Haitian TPS protections ended this summer following litigation over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the designation. Roughly 350,000 Haitians nationwide were affected, including an estimated 158,000 in Florida, according to reporting by WLRN.
Advocates are also calling for a halt to deportations to Haiti, pointing to continuing security and humanitarian concerns there.
The U.S. Department of State currently lists Haiti at Level 4: Do Not Travel, its highest travel advisory level, citing crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and limited health care. Haiti has remained under a national state of emergency since March 2024.
Earlier this month, Haitian community leaders and immigrant advocates held a similar demonstration outside Moody’s Miami office. The Florida Immigrant Coalition also announced billboards in Miami and Tampa urging Moody and Scott to protect Haitian TPS holders.
Both senators have publicly expressed concern about Haitian families, but neither had endorsed S. 4814 as of the most recent reporting. Moody said in July that she had discussed reviewing individual TPS cases with Trump administration officials, while Scott said Congress should address broader immigration policy.
