Republican nominee for Florida governor Byron Donalds met with members of South Florida’s Haitian community in North Miami on Saturday, September 12, as his campaign continues its outreach ahead of Florida’s November election.
Donalds shared photos from the visit the following day, describing Florida’s Haitian community as “resilient,” “faithful” and “hardworking.” He said it was a privilege to meet with Floridians he hopes to serve. His social-media post confirms the North Miami outreach.
The gathering came at an important time for Haitian Floridians, particularly as immigration and the future of Temporary Protected Status remain major concerns for many families in South Florida.
Donalds Recently Defended Ending Haiti TPS
Just three weeks before the North Miami visit, Donalds appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation, where he was questioned about the Trump administration’s decision to end TPS for Haitians.
During the August 23 interview, host Margaret Brennan noted that approximately 158,000 Haitian TPS holders were living in Florida, the largest concentration in the country. She questioned Donalds about ending the protection while Haiti continues to face serious security and humanitarian problems.
Donalds defended the administration’s position, arguing that TPS was created to be temporary.
“The Trump administration, in my view, making sure that it’s a temporary program is correct,” Donalds said. He also argued that allowing temporary immigration programs to continue indefinitely could create what he described as “the wrong incentives” for people to return home and for Haiti to stabilize.
At the same time, Donalds acknowledged that stabilizing Haiti would take time. He said he had met with members of Haiti’s transitional government and its ambassador and discussed efforts to improve security in the country. His claims about how much Haitian territory security forces control were his own characterization during the interview and should not be presented as independently established fact.
His Congressional Vote on Haiti TPS
Donalds’ position is also reflected in his congressional voting record.
On April 16, he voted against H.R. 1689, legislation that would have required the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. The bill nevertheless passed the House 224–204. Official House records confirm Donalds voted “Nay.”
Other Florida Republicans have taken a different position. Rep. María Elvira Salazar voted for the legislation and said ending TPS while Haiti remains unstable could affect both Haitian families and Florida’s workforce, particularly industries such as health care.
During Donalds’ Face the Nation interview, Brennan also cited Republican Rep. Carlos Giménez’s opposition to deporting Haitians who had been protected by TPS. Donalds responded by emphasizing workforce training for Floridians and the need for what he described as consistent immigration policies.
Haitian Floridians and the Governor’s Race
The North Miami appearance comes as Donalds campaigns for governor after winning Florida’s Republican primary in August. He is running with state Sen. Bryan Avila. Democrat David Jolly, running with Gwen Graham, won the Democratic nomination. Florida’s official election records confirm both tickets have qualified for the November 3 general election. Other qualified candidates will also appear on the ballot.
For Haitian Floridians, Donalds’ visit puts two parts of his campaign in the same conversation: his effort to engage the Haitian community in South Florida and his support for ending Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status.
As the governor’s race continues, immigration, Haiti policy and the economic impact of TPS are likely to remain issues of particular interest to Florida’s large Haitian community.
