Forced to Leave the U.S., Two Haitians Weigh Their Options

Sebastien and Mickael Dejean are counting down the days.

In a little less than 18 months, they either need to return to Haiti, or figure out some way, any way of remaining in America.

This is a dilemma they share with 59,000 other Haitians in the U.S., all of whom were informed by the Trump administration that their Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, would not be renewed.

The two Brooklynites (along with a third brother, Stephane, who lives in the Bronx), were granted TPS after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The Department of Homeland Security decided that conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently enough for people to return there.

The Dejean brothers reject that assessment, arguing that their homeland is riddled with problems, including natural disasters, a cholera epidemic and widespread corruption. But they're confronting the possibility that they'll need to return to Haiti.

"It's like, what do you do?" said Sebastien. "At the end of the day, there are not a lot of options."