Overview:
Wilkinson Sejour, owner of the Chef Creole restaurant chain in South Florida, is facing social media backlash after telling local media he regrets voting for President Donald Trump in 2024. The comment came amid fallout from the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, which Sejour said has already cost him staff.
Wilkinson Sejour, owner of the seven Chef Creole restaurants across South Florida, is facing backlash on social media after telling CBS Evening News he regrets voting for Donald Trump in 2024 because the president’s termination of Haitian Temporary Protected Status(TPS) has created a massive labor shortage.
Sejour made the comments on Aug. 6, amid the fallout from the end of TPS affecting roughly 350,000 Haitians, which he said has already cost him staff. He told the Miami Herald that even employees with legal status have been too afraid to come to work, and said management teams at all seven locations have quit, forcing him to shift remaining workers to cover their duties.
As temporary protected status benefits are lifted for over 300,000 Haitians, the U.S. could feel the impact across the nursing industry, hotels, and more. pic.twitter.com/aEYnDkVEYh
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) August 5, 2026
Speaking to CBS, Sejour said he had believed Trump’s business background meant he understood “how business is conducted.” The clip spread widely on X and Instagram, with some users saying the comment would keep them from returning to the restaurant, a South Florida fixture since 1992.
Sejour defended his voting record to the Herald, pointing to scholarship funds his restaurants provide each year and meals he said he supplied to furloughed TSA workers during a government shutdown.
“I’m an advocate for situations and issues that affect our communities,” he told the Herald.
The controversy followed reports, which Sejour said were false, of an ICE raid at his restaurant. He said federal agents briefly detained a Hispanic passerby unrelated to the business.
Sejour told CBS Evening News the loss of TPS protections could force him to close two of his locations.
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