When President Trump promised to be a “champion” of Haitian-Americans during his 2016 presidential run, Rev. Daniel Ulysse and other conservatives believed him. Ulysse has stayed the course supporting Trump in the decade since, even as he’s seen that promise shattered.

As head of the Haitian American Republican Caucus, a political organization that lobbies on behalf of Haitian Americans, Ulysse acknowledges that his group is underfunded, and lacks the political weight other lobbying groups can throw around. It’s never been easy advocating for Haiti. But he believes that can change.

With an estimated 700,000 eligible voters of Haitian descent in the U.S., a more powerful Haitian voting bloc is not out of the question. A majority of those voters swing Democrat, but Ulysse says he’s made allies of Republican lawmakers in states with large Haitian populations like Florida and New York. But those connections are up against the raging current of a Republican Party pushing a national anti-immigration agenda that’s been directed at Haitians.

“Nobody’s speaking for Haiti, so I have to devote most of my time, my energy, for Haiti,” Ulysse told me.

In February 2025, the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the designation for people fleeing countries experiencing extreme armed conflict or disaster that gave temporary immigration status to over 300,000 Haitians. The termination was immediately challenged in court, and some hope followed this spring when a bill to extend TPS passed the House with the help of 10 Republicans.

We’re gonna have to make a choice between money and the future of this country, and the future of the Republican administration.

Then, last month, the U.S. Supreme Court upended the fight. It sided with the Trump administration and effectively decreed that Haitians living in the US through TPS must return to Haiti, a country in the thick of a food insecurity crisis and ongoing gang violence. It’s not as if officials in the Trump administration don’t know about the situation in Haiti; the U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Haiti due to the risk of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and unrest.

After the news broke, I reached out to Ulysse to find out what this moment means for Haitians, what it is like to navigate a Republican Party that widely celebrated the end of TPS, and where he is finding hope at this time.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How would you describe the current moment for a Haitian living in the US?

It’s a very difficult moment. Many of them feel betrayed because they were expecting........

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