South Florida teen fears coming home to find her mother gone after Haitian TPS protections end

As families across South Florida's Haitian community face uncertainty over the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), one local teenager says her biggest fear is returning from school to find that her mother has been detained or deported.

The teenager, whom CBS News Miami is identifying as "Sarah" to protect her family's identity, was born in the United States, as was her brother. Her mother, who has lived in South Florida for nearly 20 years, had been residing in the U.S. under TPS.

"I'm concerned for my mom, even my uncle," Sarah said. "I also have somebody who's living with me who's 26 with a 7-month-old baby. She's on TPS, too."

Sarah, who spoke with CBS News Miami while preparing for the upcoming school year, said the anxiety has overshadowed her back-to-school preparations.

"I am scared because one day I don't wanna come home and just see, like, everybody's gone," she said. "It's just nobody. So I'm scared."

While her mother declined an interview, she told CBS News Miami she has applied for U.S. citizenship through a relative sponsor and is currently awaiting the results of that process. Sarah said her mother has largely remained at home out of fear, only leaving last Wednesday for Sarah's pediatric appointment.

The uncertainty and her mother's inability to work have also strained the family's finances.

"It feels bad because I know she feels a type of way because she can't provide for us anymore," Sarah said. "I know she's probably really scared and just doesn't know what's gonna happen."

To assist with household expenses, Sarah has taken a part-time job.

"It feels terrible to know we're not safe anymore," she said. "You could wake up one day not knowing it's over. We're not protected anymore. Anything could happen."

North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme said the anxiety surrounding the future of Haitian immigration is pervasive throughout the city, which is home to one of the largest Haitian and Haitian American populations in the U.S.

"Obviously, it's devastating," Desulme said. "A lot of anxiety. Businesses are not seeing the traffic that they used to see. Folks are afraid. It's a lot, and especially for those who have young children."

For Sarah, the threat of potential deportation has forced her family to consider contingency plans. If her mother is taken, Sarah said the plan is for her and her brother to remain in South Florida under the care of a relative who is a U.S. citizen.

For now, she is preparing to return to school while waiting for clarity on her family's future.