Haitian leaders hopeful despite rhetoric following Fort Myers hammer attack

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

About 40,000 Haitians living on the Gulf Coast under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are facing fear and uncertainty after a deadly hammer attack spurred political scrutiny of the immigration program, according to a local Haitian American leader.

Beatrice Jacquet-Castor, with the Haitian American Community Coalition of Southwest Florida, said Haitians feel unfairly judged after President Donald Trump posted about Rolbert Joachin, a Haitian man accused of killing Nilufa Easmin with a hammer outside a Chevron on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard two weeks ago.

"We send our condolences to her family that are affected. We condemn the violence," Jacquet-Castor said. "However, the president, now, he's making it seem as though because the Biden administration allowed this gentleman to stay in the U.S. when his TPS became expired, as of 2024, this is what caused the incident to happen," Jacquet-Castor said.

She said the president’s comments have had a visible impact on the Haitian community.

"Nobody showed up to church on Sunday," Jacquet-Castor said. "The number of people that would be out for groceries and churches, they're not coming out."

TPS, an immigration policy allowing people to seek asylum in the U.S., is in limbo for Haitians as the Trump administration is set to argue against the policy in front of the Supreme Court next month.

Marcus Wobschall, an immigration attorney with Veritas Immigration Law, explained the potential consequences for Haitians if TPS is terminated.

"They would either have to find an independent pathway to be able to stay legally in the United States outside of the TPS, or they're going to have to go back home because they would lose their status at that point," Wobschall said.

On Thursday, a bill was passed in the House of Representatives to extend TPS for three years, offering hope to the Haitian community.

"They had to run to America to be able to save their lives and provide for their family," Jacquet-Castor said. "Passing this bill will create a lot of family stability. It will keep families together. It will enable families to be able to put food on their table for their kids."

The bill now heads to the Senate and would ultimately need to be signed by President Trump to become law.

As for Joachin, he has been stripped of his TPS following his arrest.

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