A Haitian Republican Pastor and the Conservative Movement Letting Him Down

When President Trump promised to be a “champion” of Haitian-Americans during his 2016 presidential run, Rev. Daniel Ulysse and other conservatives believed him. Ulysse has stayed the course supporting Trump in the decade since, even as he’s seen that promise shattered.

As head of the Haitian American Republican Caucus, a political organization that lobbies on behalf of Haitian Americans, Ulysse acknowledges that his group is underfunded, and lacks the political weight other lobbying groups can throw around. It’s never been easy advocating for Haiti. But he believes that can change.

With an estimated 700,000 eligible voters of Haitian descent in the U.S., a more powerful Haitian voting bloc is not out of the question. A majority of those voters swing Democrat, but Ulysse says he’s made allies of Republican lawmakers in states with large Haitian populations like Florida and New York. But those connections are up against the raging current of a Republican Party pushing a national anti-immigration agenda that’s been directed at Haitians.

“Nobody’s speaking for Haiti, so I have to devote most of my time, my energy, for Haiti,” Ulysse told me.

In February 2025, the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Services (TPS), the designation for people fleeing countries experiencing extreme armed conflict or disaster that gave temporary immigration status to over 300,000 Haitians. The termination was immediately challenged in court, and some hope followed this spring when a bill to extend TPS passed the House with the help of 10 Republicans.

We’re gonna have to make a choice between money and the future of this country, and the future of the Republican administration.

Then, last month, the U.S. Supreme Court upended the fight. It sided with the Trump administration and effectively decreed that Haitians living in the US through TPS must return to Haiti, a country in the thick of a food insecurity crisis and ongoing gang violence. It’s not as if officials in the Trump administration don’t know about the situation in Haiti; the U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Haiti due to the risk of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and unrest.

After the news broke, I reached out to Ulysse to find out what this moment means for Haitians, what it is like to navigate a Republican Party that widely celebrated the end of TPS, and where he is finding hope at this time.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How would you describe the current moment for a Haitian living in the US?

It’s a very difficult moment. Many of them feel betrayed because they were expecting a better outcome from the Trump administration than Biden. Many of them voted for Trump. We supported him, and he pledged to help Haiti, to be Haiti’s greatest champion, and that never materialized.

We believe that Biden had an opportunity, and Obama, to do something to [create] a pathway to citizenship. But instead they have that program, TPS, and the other program Biden program (CHNV parole) that didn’t really help Haitians.

And then moving forward, the next term, Trump 47, we were expecting better, but things got worse. And that’s why people feel betrayed and not happy. We deserve better.

How is your community responding to the news about TPS?

They’re afraid. They are sad. They’re very angry. They wouldn’t mind going back to Haiti, but the place is a mess. It’s got worse. It gets worse because of the mercenaries, all they do is create problems, killing people, making money. So it’s a total mess with the American administration right now, where big money makes the decision.

When you destabilize a country, when you destroy all the institutions, when you impose a guy like Alix Didier Fils-Aimé (acting prime minister of Haiti since 2024) who has no credibility. They are the ones running the show. They have the money, and they are paying the lobbyists. You pay, you play. That’s what’s going on in Haiti. Human life has no meaning for these people. That’s why I stand, that’s why many of us stand for justice and righteousness and bring these people to common sense. You cannot and shouldn’t deport these people in this situation.

What was your reaction?

I was very disappointed. I was shocked ’cause I thought that the people would have known better. They know the crime and the violence.

But it was not, honestly, until I realized Erik Prince was pushing for mass deportations. (A company led by Erik Prince, the founder of the former military contractor Blackwater, recently signed a ten-year deal with the Haitian government to build prisons, manage security and border security.) This mass deportation is about money, about Erik and some other guys who wanna make money building jails and deporting people. It’s a business. Private prisons here in the United States: shutting Black and Brown people in prison. They know how much money can be made, so they have to listen to their donors and who gives money to push that agenda. That’s exactly what is going on with the TPS thing.

The Haitian community has been attacked by Republican leaders in the past two years, like President Trump calling Haiti a “shithole” country, or Vice President JD Vance falsely speaking about Haitian migrants eating pets. How do you square that with the party?

I don’t support anyone who makes such statements. Whatever you say reflects on your personality. It’s quite simple. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

The Republican people paid because their constituents who are racist, give them money. When you give money, they say whatever their constituent wants. Usually, politicians have a language, wherever they are, to please their base. They will never dare saying such a thing about Israel. But, you know, a country like Haiti, they have no political power yet.

So I need to make it clear, do you still support this Presidential administration?

Yes, I do. I don’t support the action, but I don’t have another administration.

Do any of these policy decisions make you question your support for this administration and the Republican party?

People need to understand how American policy works. People, where they are an anti-immigrant group who have money, will lobby to push an anti-immigrant agenda. People take advantage, so we become a scapegoat in political discussion. So the administration will listen to people who give money, will lobby, who hate Blacks, who hate immigrants, and they’re the ones pushing the agenda. They will be the one they listen to.

So it’s not the elected person per se, but whose agenda they’re supporting. Look at what’s going on with Netanyahu and Israel, that the Jewish lobby is so powerful. So this is my take on it. We don’t have the resources. We’re not there yet politically. But if we were organized, and we had big money, then you wouldn’t hear that.

Have you found any Democrats that stand up for Haiti in ways that you would hope?

You see Democrats like (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer, for example, they will speak up for supporting Haiti. You will see them put their neck out. But it’s only now that for the first time you can see Republicans putting their neck out, like (Rep. Mike) Lawler and (Rep. Carlos) Gimenez. Rarely do you see that.

Do you fear that the end of TPS could be the start of the end of the US Haitian diaspora?

The problem is only temporary. President Trump, I mean, how much time does he have in office, okay? We’ve seen the political cycle, and this TPS [decision] will hurt the Republican Party, unfortunately, in many areas. That’s why many Republicans are afraid. They know the Venezuelans, the Cubans, many other people will organize. The Democrat is using this tool, deportation, against them.

As Republicans, I wish they would have common sense and do better. But otherwise, many Republicans are gonna lose, and the Democrats are going to come back and use that political tool again, and hopefully they will come with a pathway to citizenship.

I mean, ICE picking up people, taking them somewhere is money. I think we can do better. The US can do better. Trump can do better. I know I will have an opportunity to speak to him, and hopefully he will listen.

I’ve been around these people, and all I want to do is to have them understand what’s at stake for the country. How do you talk about deporting all those people, when we have no government in Haiti?  Our own US State Department knows. Rubio knows Haiti. Markwayne Mullin, the Secretary of Homeland Security, all these people. They know what’s going on. But again, the money of Erik [Prince] and all those guys are pushing them to look the other way. Eventually we’re gonna have to make a choice between money and the future of this country, and the future of the Republican administration.

These deportations have been part of the conservative movement. As someone who’s been part of that movement, how do you feel about your role in this?

I haven’t done enough. I think there are many conservative movement people who are standing for religious liberty. So the conservative [movement], the church, needs to know the atrocity and the criminal activities that’s going on today in Haiti.

As a conservative movement, people need to know if you’re defending the church, if you’re defending religious persecution, if we are anti-abortion, we should stand with the Haitian people.

Where do you think the Haitian community can find hope right now?

Haitians can find hope in fighting to fix Haiti, in fighting to restore democracy in Haiti, in fighting to kick the criminals out of Haiti. Because, no matter what, it’s not just about TPS. People in Haiti need to live. Haitians need to get organized and fight, and change that country. We deserve better. This is the real story.

Is there anything else you want to say?

We want people to extend TPS. We want justice. We want better for Haiti. We want the United States to understand Haitians are decent, good people. We want people to stand up in solidarity with Haiti right now. Yes, we appreciate the Democrats and the Black Caucus, those who stand up for TPS. But we need more than TPS.

We need a delegation, we need to come and expose what is going on in Haiti. That’s the best help. We want to develop our country. We need factories. We need business. We don’t need a handout. We need the world to know what is going on in Haiti, where they destroy everything so that Haiti becomes an export.