Hundreds of Haitian TPS holders line up in North Miami for driver's license help after judge's order

Hundreds of Haitians living under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) showed up Thursday in North Miami to renew, reinstate, or replace their driver's licenses weeks after a federal judge temporarily halted the government's effort to end Haiti's TPS program and after a separate order requiring Florida to resume license renewals tied to TPS status.

Thamara Louis, a nurse who has lived in the United States for 26 years, came straight from an overnight shift. She said the loss of a valid license has made daily life difficult and expensive.

"I got 26 years in this country. 26 years," Louis said. "Everywhere you go, you have trouble. The way the people act. It makes everybody scared."

In Florida, driver's licenses for many non-citizens are tied to immigration end dates. When the government scheduled an end to Haitians' TPS protections, thousands of licenses linked to those dates also expired, leaving many TPS holders unable to legally drive to work, school, or medical appointments. Louis said she stopped driving for a month and relied on rideshares just to keep working. "I take Uber," she said. "Sometimes I pay $48, sometimes I pay $65. I pay Uber to go to work. I pay Uber to come back home."

What Miami-Dade officials are doing in response to the demand

To respond to the demand, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marleine Bastien and Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez brought the Tax Collector's mobile unit, known as TConnect, directly into the community. The pop-up site at the Father Gerard Jean-Juste Community Center at Oak Grove Park was assembled within hours, Bastien said, after she traveled to Tallahassee to get approval to operate the services.

"My office in District 2 has received tons of calls from doctors, from nurses, organizers… people who cannot drive, cannot take their children to school, cannot go to work," Bastien said. "It's created a very, very difficult situation."

For many in line, even a temporary fix matters. Rachel Fleurantin, who is also on TPS, described the emotional toll of having documentation that feels uncertain. "You feel illegal if you don't have anything," Fleurantin said. "But now you have something… not too much, not too long time, but you have it."

The events are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, and Friday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Father Gerard Jean-Juste Community Center at Oak Grove Park, 690 NE 159th St., Miami, and Saturday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Griffin Park, 428 NE 123rd St., North Miami. Saturday's event is also in partnership with the City of North Miami.

Because of the turnout, Bastien and the Tax Collector's Office said they expect to process hundreds more people on Friday and Saturday.

For more information, the Office of Commissioner Marleine Bastien can be reached at (305) 694-2779.