SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A Sioux Falls ministry that sponsors humanitarian work in Haiti is sounding a stark warning after a federal shift in immigration policy forced a sponsored Haitian physician and his family to return to parts of Port-au-Prince that U.S. officials and international observers have described as unsafe.
Local sponsorship, federal change, immediate consequences
Haiti Alive, a Sioux Falls-based nonprofit that builds homes and schools in Haiti, said the family — identified in statements only as Dr. William and his wife, also a physician — initially came to South Dakota under Temporary Protected Status, a federal designation that allowed them to live and work in the United States while conditions in their home country were deemed unsafe.
After the Department of Homeland Security ended Haiti’s TPS designation, by then led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the family lost their work permits and the legal protections that had allowed them to remain in Sioux Falls. Local sponsors who had stepped in to provide a connection and support said the move left the family with no option but to return.
“They say if you’re working in this program, you are a rich guy,” William said, noting that his profession put him and his wife directly on a gang kidnapping list.
The ministry and local supporters described the decision as a crisis of safety and a difficult choice between remaining without legal status in the U.S. and going back into what they described as a "kill zone" where gang activity has dramatically worsened in recent years.
Security warnings and expert perspective
Immigration expert Taneeza Islam told Dakota News Now that TPS is intended for "immediate and dangerous" conditions that make safe return impossible, but she noted the designation is distinct from asylum or refugee status. Advocates have criticized the decision to end the designation for Haiti while pointing to U.S. government travel advisories.
The U.S. State Department maintains a Do Not Travel warning for Haiti, a point Islam cited when questioning the termination of protections. The concern has been echoed on the international stage: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council on July 20, 2026, that the security situation in Haiti’s capital warranted urgent attention.
Local response and the role of sponsorship
Representatives of Haiti Alive described the sponsorship arrangement as a community effort to protect the family. Bruce Blumer, a Haiti Alive representative, said the organization stepped in to establish a formal connection so the family would have backing in Sioux Falls.
The abrupt policy change stripped away the legal work authorization the family relied upon. According to the ministry, that loss of status left them with the only remaining option: return to Haiti, where they face continued threats and a dangerous journey home.
- Immediate effect: Loss of work permits for the sponsored family after TPS termination.
- Safety concern: Return to areas of Port-au-Prince affected by gang checkpoints and targeted violence.
- Local action: Haiti Alive and community sponsors expressing alarm, turning to prayer and advocacy.
What this means for Sioux Falls and similar sponsors
For Sioux Falls residents involved in immigrant support and faith-based humanitarian work, the case underscores the vulnerability of people brought to the U.S. under temporary federal protections. Local sponsors and nonprofits said they now face the reality that federal policy shifts can abruptly remove the legal status that allowed professionals fleeing violence to live and contribute in communities like Sioux Falls.
Haiti Alive’s decision to publicize the family’s situation aims to raise awareness among local donors, faith groups and civic leaders about the human consequences of federal immigration decisions. The organization has emphasized the family’s prior role as health-care providers and their ongoing vulnerability upon return.
No local or federal official in Sioux Falls provided additional comment for this report. Haiti Alive and the sponsors involved continue to seek ways to support the family and to press for consideration of the security realities affecting people they had brought here under TPS.
