About 5,000 Haitian residents of Montgomery County lost their legal status when the federal government ended Temporary Protected Status for Haiti on July 27, and local leaders say the fallout is already hitting families, employers and the county's healthcare workforce.

County Executive Marc Elrich devoted his Aug. 13 media briefing to the issue, calling in legal services providers and community advocates to explain what the change means locally.

The Rev. Evans Faustin, executive director of the Caribbean Help Center, said at the briefing that the TPS termination has created fear and uncertainty across the Haitian community. Many workers have already lost jobs, Faustin said, while others have quit out of fear of encountering immigration enforcement officers.

Genevieve Augustin, director of legal services at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), warned that the county's elder-care and disability-services sectors face a staffing crisis. Haitian workers fill a critical share of long-term healthcare roles countywide, according to the county.

Augustin described one client: a woman who came to the U.S. at about age 5, grew up here and became a nurse practitioner by 30. TPS was her only legal status.

"Imagine how much she's contributing to our society right here. She literally has no other way to stay here," Augustin said at the briefing, as reported by Bethesda Magazine.

Fear keeps families silent

Faustin said the fear extends beyond the workplace. Parents are afraid to send children to school, he said, and families are avoiding medical appointments and public transit because they worry about encountering ICE.

Augustin said many affected residents refuse to speak publicly. CARECEN is assembling a "stories list" so the public can eventually hear firsthand accounts, but for now, she said, people are too afraid of becoming targets.

Rodrigue Vital, Montgomery County's Caribbean liaison, described the community's mood in an Aug. 6 NBC4 Washington report as "a period of panic, fear, shame."

A federal contradiction

Elrich highlighted what he called a contradiction in federal policy: the U.S. State Department maintains a "do not travel" warning for Haiti, citing crime, violence and unrest, while the TPS termination requires Haitian holders to return. In his July 31 newsletter, Elrich said forcing people back to Haiti would essentially sentence many of them to death.

Nationally, more than 330,000 Haitians could lose protections under the termination, according to the American Immigration Council, as reported by WTOP.

What residents can do

The county is directing affected families to the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center at 240-777-4940 for legal guidance and family stabilization services. CARECEN offers monthly workshops, Know Your Rights presentations and free legal consultations.

No county council vote or ordinance is pending on the issue. TPS for El Salvador is set to expire Sept. 9, which could further affect the region's immigrant workforce.