South Florida hospitality employers have until Friday, July 24, to decide whether to retain or reinstate Haitian workers whose federal work permits nearly expired days ago.

Federal agency extends permits at the last minute

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that it was extending employment authorization for about 350,000 Haitian Temporary Protected Status holders nationwide. The extension came the same day the permits were originally set to expire, forcing employers who had already begun terminations to reverse course. Companies have said rapidly shifting federal policy has made workforce planning increasingly difficult and have criticized the lack of advance guidance, according to Newsweek.

Florida's Haitian TPS workforce among the largest in the nation

Florida has more Haitian TPS workers than any other state, with 113,000, according to USCIS data. The state's hotel, restaurant and service industries depend heavily on that workforce. UNITE HERE Local 355, the South Florida hospitality union representing workers at hotels, restaurants and gaming venues in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, said a few hundred of its Haitian TPS members in Broward County were told they were being terminated before the extension was announced.

"They jumped the gun to terminate people when they don't have to be doing that," said Wendi Walsh, secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 355.

Walsh said the union planned to contact employers about what the extension means for workers who had already been let go.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Friday that some Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport workers with TPS had already been dismissed. The Washington Post reported that businesses had begun layoffs in anticipation of the deadline, only to learn hours later that the permits remained valid.

Industry groups push for more time

The National Restaurant Association urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to provide a 90- to 120-day transition period for affected employers and to issue clearer compliance guidance. The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association has also pressed the federal government for a longer runway; Samantha Padgett, the group's vice president of government relations, has spoken publicly about the impact on Florida hospitality businesses.

Supreme Court ruling set the deadline in motion

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Thursday, June 25, that the Trump administration has the authority to end TPS for Haitians. Haitians were first granted TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake, and the designation has been renewed multiple times since. USCIS guidance posted Friday states that documentation will remain valid temporarily while lower courts align with the ruling.

The U.S. House passed a three-year extension of Haiti's TPS designation in April, but the Senate has not acted on it.