The end of the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals is beginning to produce concrete effects on the labour market in New York. The municipality began to terminate the employment of Haitian workers who no longer have another legal work permit after the expiry of the GST protections. This situation comes at a time when the federal decision to terminate the scheme exposes hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals in the United States to loss of their status and, for some, their work authorization.
In a statement issued on Friday, August 7, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had publicly opposed the removal of the GST, explained that the city could not retain workers without a valid work permit. Its administration, however, plans to provide legal support in order to assess their options and identify possible legal avenues for them to continue working in the United States. Employees who are able to obtain a new work authorization could be reinstated.
This situation is one of the first concrete professional consequences of the end of the GST for Haitians. It also puts the New York municipality in the face of a dilemma: continue to publicly defend Haitian immigrants while applying the federal rules that now condition their right to work. In June, Mamdani denounced the decision of the Supreme Court that allowed the federal administration to pursue the end of the Haitian GST, warning that the people concerned might lose their right to live and work legally in the United States.
