North Miami, Florida. The Trump administration has terminated TPS, or temporary protected status, affecting an estimated 500,000 Haitians living in the United States and putting them at risk of deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security states:

“This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that temporary protective status is truly temporary.” The environmental situation in Haiti has improved to the point where Haitian individuals can safely return home.

On Sunday, community leaders and neighbors gathered in North Miami for a critical town hall meeting to explore what comes next for Haitians whose protected status is about to expire and how to assist those in need.

“The top concern for Haitians right now is what is going to happen, how quickly are they going to remove those that do not have the right paperwork to be here,” Naomi Blemur, an advocate, told CNN.

The panel discussion tackled some of the most serious issues as gangs tighten their grip on the island nation.

“There are some people here who may be able to change their status in some way,” advocate Sandra Cherfrere explained. “Maybe they have a family member who can apply for them, they may be eligible for asylum depending on what’s going on.”

TPS allows those who are currently in the United States to stay and work lawfully if their home countries are considered unsafe.

Before President Donald Trump took office for his second term in January, immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Lebanon, received these protections.

The Haitian community previously pushed for temporary protected status, taking to the streets of Miami in 2017.

The demonstrations, combined with lawsuits, delayed Trump’s termination attempt back then, but the current battle is significantly different because it is inextricably linked to the administration’s broad immigration crackdown.