Thousands of Haitian American parishioners gathered for Lenten worship services at Notre Dame d’Haiti, a Catholic church in the heart of Miami’s Haitian neighborhood. Meanwhile, their homeland endures increasing violence, food insecurity, and diminishing humanitarian aid.
Kettelene Fevrier attended the service on March 29. The immigrant expressed her unwavering faith that things will improve in her homeland and that she will have a bright future living in the United States.
“We believe in him. We pray for possibilities,” Fevrier told the Associated Press.
Fevrier fled Haiti in 2023 under the Biden administration’s Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) Program, a temporary humanitarian protection initiative established to safeguard foreign nationals during global crises. In March 2025, the Trump administration announced its intention to revoke the program that provided aid to 530,000 migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end deportation protections, but the bill’s future remains uncertain.
Sandina Jean, who also left Haiti two years ago, tells the AP that returning to Haiti is out of the question.
“Haiti is getting worse. We don’t have a home to go back to,” Jean told the outlet.
Last week, Catholic Legal Services held an immigration session that lasted until 1 a.m. due to the high demand for advice amid uncertainty about their future in America. Jean Souffrant, who leads the church’s Leadership and Learning Center, states that parishioners are experiencing elevated levels of stress as they confront the possibility of being forced out of the country that once welcomed them.
Haiti has faced persistent gang violence since 2021. The gangs that now dominate the majority of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, have escalated their attacks, resulting in the deaths of over 5,600 people in 2024. The UN estimates that more than 1 million individuals have been displaced as a result of the violence.
The U.S. Census estimates that nearly half a million Haitians live in South Florida, making it the largest Haitian community in the United States.
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