‘We are human beings’: Haitian immigrant in Dubuque set to lose temporary protected status

Fils Dieune Duperval’s experience as a Haitian immigrant is an oftentimes contradictory reality.

On one hand, Duperval is grateful for the kindness and support he has in Dubuque. But the cruel national sentiment surrounding immigrants today — and Haitians — is demoralizing, he said.

Despite external challenges, Duperval said he feels Dubuque offers him a better future. His support system there is understanding and helpful.

“I will always be grateful, even if I have to leave the country,” Duperval said.

That possible departure is a reality sooner than he anticipated. Duperval is preparing to be sent back to his home country, where political, economic and environmental crises have made life dangerous and unstable. Though he currently holds temporary protected status, or TPS, as a Haitian national in the U.S. — a short-term protection akin to being a refugee — Duperval is caught up in a challenge that, for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, offers no good path forward.

In November, the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS for Haiti, meaning Haitians living in the U.S. under the program will lose that designation on Feb. 3, 2026. Immigrants such as Duperval are left with two time-sensitive options: leave America yourself or be forced to.

“Before being immigrants, we are human beings,” Duperval said. “We want (people) to be more understanding toward us. We leave our country — many of us, we have a nice culture, good culture. We leave our country not because we don’t love it.”

Duperval, who moved to Dubuque in 2023, said he often misses his hometown of Port-Salut. He misses the food, the culture and his family, including his daughter and fiancee. When he immigrated, Duperval already had a family member in the U.S. His half brother, who lives in Asbury, sponsored his move.

Living in Haiti was extremely difficult, Duperval said, with widespread gang violence and economic insecurity that goes unresolved by the government. After immigrating, he once had to sell his car to pay thousands of dollars in ransom after his fiancee was kidnapped for two weeks.

“We don’t come here in the United States on vacation,” Duperval said. “It’s easier to get a better life here in the United States (than) in Haiti.”

Retaining temporary protected status, though, is a difficult process.

TPS designations are given to countries facing instability, such as Haiti. The program is meant to provide temporary refuge in the U.S. for those immigrants to work legally without threat of deportation — the hope being that they can eventually return to their country. Unlike other immigration routes, TPS does not offer an automatic pathway to lawful permanent residence, also known as a green card. By nature, Duperval’s status is transient.

While the government is offering $1,000 to immigrants who self-deport, “we are not here for that,” Duperval said.

“We are not criminals,” he continued. “We’re not here to kill; we’re not here to kidnap. We are just here to seek a better life.”

Duperval has paid hundreds of dollars to renew immigration documents he hasn’t received, he said — $470 for a work permit, $620 for travel documents, $480 for TPS documentation. He doesn’t know if his driver’s license will be renewed in February. He has worked multiple jobs at a time to support himself and send remittances to family back home. Since his arrival in Dubuque, Duperval has also worked with an English tutor at Presentation Lantern Center, a nonprofit that supports immigrants in the community.

Duperval has invested a lot in his life here. Still, if no other outcome allows him to stay in the U.S. legally, he’s prepared to leave.

“I will pay a ticket and go back to my country because I don’t want to be deported,” Duperval said. “I don’t want to be arrested and get humiliated. I don’t want them to humiliate me like that.”

On a national scale, immigrants are not being met with dignity and respect, said Yer Vang, director of immigration legal services for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Misinformation about immigration itself contributes to the issue, she said.

“It’s important for people to still advocate about the importance of continuing (to) be a welcoming country,” Vang added. “If we can just disregard all the noise that’s out there, we just need to understand that that human person is a human person and look that person in the eye and say, ‘What can I do to help you?’”

Catholic Charities has seen a “significant jump” in people seeking help with TPS services in the past few years, according to Vang — especially Haitian, Venezuelan and Cuban populations. Vang, who is based in Cedar Rapids, has more than 20 years of experience as an immigration attorney.

“The legal advice and information we share with them is, every day, every week, the immigration policies and rules keep changing,” she said.

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Catherine Douillet, a friend of Duperval’s, said immigrants like him often do not have the same privileges as those such as herself. Douillet, who immigrated to the U.S. from France, connected with Duperval through the Lantern Center.

“I really have a lot of empathy for fellow immigrants, and I’m one of them — and there’s not much of a difference between someone like (Duperval) and someone like me,” she said. “I’m here for a better life. I’m here to support my family. Because I’m white and from a rich country, I don’t really get any of this kind of backlashes or negative stigma or negative stereotypes, this mentality (that) immigrants are dangerous illegals.”

From Duperval’s perspective, Haitian immigrants are often met with racism and a lack of respect by America. Haiti used to be a strong, independent nation, Duperval said — historically an ally to the U.S.

“I (thought) the United States, they can help us fight against the gangs, against the kidnappers, because they have power for that,” he said of relations between the two countries. “That’s what we expected from them.”

The stress of anti-immigrant sentiment today is compounded by a massive backlog of services, Vang said — such as outstanding processing times for documentation.

Megan Ruiz, executive director of the Lantern Center, said she is “in awe” of immigrants such as Duperval who remain resilient, responsible and optimistic.

“I think most people agree that our immigration system is not working the way it is and that there’s a lot of things that need to be changed about it,” Ruiz said. “My hope — and I know a lot of people have hope — (is) that our country can go back to the drawing board and be unified and work together at humane solutions.”