Scores of Haitian immigrants working at a western Minnesota meat packing plant have been laid off after losing their work permits due to President Donald Trump’s move to end programs allowing people from the Caribbean nation to live and work in the United States.
About 80 Haitians working at the American Food Groups meat packing plant in Long Prairie were laid off after losing their work permits, according to Miguel Gutierrez, a union representative with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
The Long Prairie packing plant has a diverse group of workers from across the world, Gutierrez said, and the union has experience with groups losing work permission due to changing immigration statuses.
“It’s very difficult,” Gutierrez said. “We can’t get around it.”
American Food Groups did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the layoffs.
The Trump administration has moved to end immigration programs that allowed hundreds of thousands of Haitians to live and work legally in the United States while potentially applying for a more permanent legal status. About 4,000 Haitians live in Minnesota; the exact number covered by different immigration protection statuses is unclear.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on June 12 it was terminating humanitarian parole status for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, which immediately revoked work permits for those individuals.
In July, DHS moved to end a large Temporary Protected Status (TPS) class for nearly 500,000 Haitians living in the United States. That attempt would have ended TPS for those Haitians in September, and put an end to their work permits in August. But a federal judge blocked that after a lawsuit was filed challenging the move, and those Haitians will have TPS protection until February 2026. DHS has said it plans to appeal the decision.
‘They go back with less’
David Policard, a Haitian immigrant who runs a nonprofit called Vanse, helped host a legal clinic for Haitians in Minnesota in mid-July. About 20 people came to have their cases consulted, he said, demonstrating a clear need. But no two cases are alike, he said. Some people have more options, but everyone told him they were glad they came.
“Everyone who came out, came out with a sense of enlightenment and knowing what steps to take,” Policard said.
Some who had humanitarian parole canceled may be eligible to apply for TPS by August 3, with those protections scheduled to end in February 2026. Haitians living under either program may be eligible to apply for asylum, other visa programs, or permanent residency depending on their circumstances. A family of three who came to the clinic all received slightly different advice based on their individual situations, Policard said.
The loss of work permits is the biggest immediate challenge for many Haitians in Minnesota, he said. Many at the legal clinic and who contact Vanse have lost their jobs this summer because of their status change.
Policard said he doesn’t blame employers who are trying to comply with federal standards by terminating employees. He’s tried to contact some employers and let them know about the TPS legal case that will extend those work permits through the year. Some have agreed to hire workers back, others haven’t. It’s tough for people who are trying to decide their next move in the United States, he said, and for those who have already decided to return to Haiti.
“There’s a group of people who are going back to Haiti, and that extra month would have been transport money, so now when they go back, they go with even less,” Policard said.
The Haitian community in Long Prairie grew in waves similar to other Minnesota immigration patterns, Policard said. A group of Haitians found work in the meat packing plant, and more came to join them. The plant mostly employs immigrant workers.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union knows American Food Groups is complying with the law by laying off workers, Gutierrez said. Handling the sudden change in work permit status has been difficult for organized labor across the United States, he said.
“I think it’s a program that’s affecting the whole country,” Gutierrez said.
The union is working to support members who suddenly lost their jobs because of the changing status. Many of their Haitian members who were laid off are looking for other programs that will allow them to stay in the country and work legally, Gutierrez said.
“We are very worried,”Gutierrez said. “We are looking for ways to help them.”
Vanse has tried to connect the unemployed Haitian workers in Long Prairie to social services and other jobs, “but they don’t qualify for anything,” Policard said.
