Mayor Higgins Condemns Appeal, Defends Haitian Community’s Role

Published on February 06, 2026

Statement by City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins. 
“I strongly condemn the administration’s decision to appeal the court ruling protecting Temporary Protected Status for Haitian families. This move creates unnecessary fear and instability for hundreds of thousands of people who are living and working legally, raising families, and contributing to our communities. It is cruel, and it inflicts even more uncertainty and hardship on a community that has already endured far too much.
Miami is a city of immigrants, built by immigrants, and our Haitian community is part of the backbone of our city. Continuing to push legal uncertainty instead of providing stability is wrong, and it puts families, workers, and critical systems like healthcare at risk. We need compassion, clarity, and leadership, not appeals that prolong fear and chaos.”