(COLDWATER) - Temporary immigration protections for approximately 350,000 Haitians living in the United States are set to expire Monday, with the change expected to have a significant effect on Coldwater's Haitian community and local workforce.
Protections End Monday
A federal appeals court last week granted a brief extension allowing Haitian recipients of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to retain their work authorization and protection from deportation through Monday, July 27.
Barring another court order or federal action, those protections will now end.
TPS allows eligible immigrants from countries experiencing war, natural disasters or other dangerous conditions to temporarily live and work legally in the United States. Haiti was first designated for the program following the country's devastating 2010 earthquake.
Employers Must Reverify Workers
Employers must reverify the employment eligibility of workers whose authorization was based on Haitian TPS.
Companies that continue employing workers without valid authorization could face federal penalties.
Companies employing affected workers are being urged to consult immigration attorneys about whether those employees qualify for another form of legal status or work authorization.
Potential Impact In Coldwater
The expiration could have a particularly strong effect in Coldwater, where an estimated 500 Haitian residents have settled, many of them for employment.
The exact number of local residents currently working under TPS is not known.
Many Haitian workers are employed at the Clemens Food Group pork-processing plant on Newton Road. Previous reporting indicated the plant employs approximately 400 Haitian workers among its workforce of nearly 1,700 people, although it is unclear how many are covered by TPS.
Clemens leadership has previously warned that losing a large portion of those employees could disrupt daily operations, affect product quality and complicate a planned $150 million expansion of the Coldwater plant.
Deportation Protections Also Expire
The expiration of TPS also removes protection from deportation for people who do not have another legal basis to remain in the country.
Federal immigration officials have been preparing for possible enforcement operations as the protections end.