On her way to becoming an ER doctor, a South Florida woman says she's now hiding from the US government
A South Florida woman who spent years preparing for a career in emergency medicine says the end of her Temporary Protected Status has left her unable to work and afraid to leave her home.
The woman asked CBS News Miami to call her "Vanessa" because of concerns about her immigration status. She said she and her father have barely left their South Florida home in weeks.
"I don't think I have words for how terrible it is because being a doctor is like my one dream for my entire life," Vanessa said.
Vanessa came to the United States after surviving Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake. She remembers being in the street when the earthquake struck and watching people around her die and suffer serious injuries. She said that experience helped drive her decision to pursue medicine.
"I felt like I would not be helpless anymore if I were to go back and have all this schooling, all this knowledge, and be able to finish it and be able to give back when I get there and help," she said.
Vanessa graduated from Florida International University, completed medical school, and entered a three-year emergency medicine residency program at a South Florida hospital. She was completing the first year of her residency when she lost her TPS and ability to work.
"I have barely two years left, and they just pulled the rug out and said, 'No, you're done now,'" she said.
Vanessa said she had been treating patients in the ICU, responding to trauma cases and helping with pediatric emergencies. "I can't work without finishing the training program," Vanessa said. "I can't work anywhere, so even if I were to go to Haiti, I can't help them."
Vanessa's father is an attorney who also served as a government official in Haiti. His TPS has also expired. He told CBS News Miami in Creole that he fears returning to Haiti because of gang violence and believes he could be targeted. He said a recent gang attack in Kenscoff killed dozens of people, including some of his friends.
Vanessa's mother works at a nursing home. With a pending asylum case, she has a work permit allowing her to keep working — though she can still be detained by immigration officials.
"Every day they're going out, they're also risking being detained," Vanessa said.
Vanessa's youngest brother is a U.S.-born teenager — the only American citizen in the immediate family. She said her family has not told him the full extent of their immigration situation.
"I don't think my family wants to talk to him about this because, I mean, he's a child," Vanessa said.
Vanessa said she would be more willing to return to Haiti if the country were safe, but she wants the opportunity to finish her residency first. She said she cannot complete that training in Haiti.
"You just have useless knowledge in your brain just sitting there," she said, describing what it feels like to be a doctor unable to complete her training.
Vanessa said her South Florida hospital tried to help by applying for a work visa on her behalf, but the application was denied. She said the hospital is holding her residency position in hopes that her immigration situation changes and she can return to work.
For now, Vanessa says she continues studying from home while waiting and hoping for the opportunity to return to the hospital and finish the career she has spent years working toward.