Update: With the government extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and the Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for Haitian nationals through July 24, the Winchester Gardens Haitian employees affected have been reinstated until then, according to Springpoint counsel.
A small group of protesters from Winchester Gardens and the grassroots political action group SOMA Action protested in front of the retirement community on Friday morning to support Haitian immigrants who have lost their Temporary Protected Status, specifically four employees who will also lose their jobs.
Protesters said they are unhappy that Winchester Gardens’ parent company Springpoint Senior Living “complied too quickly” after the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25 ruled the Trump Administration can remove Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of immigrants from Haiti and Syria, by removing four Haitian employees from the schedule earlier this week. (When government first extended the TPS and employment authorization date to July 10, Springpoint reinstated the employees until then, and when the government extended that date to July 24, Springpoint extended the employees’ jobs until then, according to Springpoint counsel.)
“They obeyed before they had to,” said Chris Hildebrand, a Winchester Gardens resident who has taken part in many ICE Out of South of Maplewood and South Orange rallies. “These are very wonderful and loyal employees. Everyone loves them. They’re being reinstated for a week. How are they going to do that? They need to make arrangements for the rest of their lives, not a week.”
Protestors waved signs, handed out fliers and talked to passing motorists. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Maureen E. Cafferty, senior vice president and general counsel for Springpoint, told The Village Green that Winchester Gardens has “communicated directly, openly and promptly with our team members as the scope of the Temporary Protected Status program has shifted.”
Cafferty said that when the February 3, 2026, deadline to terminate the TPS designation for Haiti was stayed by court order, Springpoint informed those employees that there would be no disruption to their employment as a result of the court’s decision. And when the company was notified that the TPS designation would terminate on July 1, 2026, she said, management let the employees know in advance that as of July 1, 2026 they would be removed from the schedule in compliance with law.
When U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services extended the TPS program to July 10, 2026, she said, “we immediately notified our affected team members that they could return to work and that Springpoint would compensate them for wages lost because of the schedule disruption. These actions were not taken prematurely — we have consistently acted in good-faith compliance with the law.”
“Springpoint deeply values the contributions, skill and dedication of our Haitian team members, many of whom have served the residents for years. Their work is integral to our mission, and our desire is to continue to employ them in every way the law permits,” Cafferty said. “That desire, however, must be balanced against our legal obligations as an employer — obligations we take seriously and cannot set aside, even in circumstances as difficult as these.”
Wearing an ICE Out T-shirt, Winchester Gardens resident Frances Scura, who has been politically active since she was in the Peace Corps in the early 1960s, said Springpoint’s action felt like capitulation to Trump. “They’re so worried about following the letter of the law that they’re complying with dictators,” she said.
Protesters came out early in the morning because of the dangerous heat wave warning. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
During the hour-long protest, which started at 8 a.m. because of the excessive heat wave, protesters carried handmade signs that read “Haitian Workers Deserve Fair Treatment,” “Shameful Supreme Court TPS Decision,” “Save Our Haitian Workers and All Immigrants,” “Don’t Comply With Immoral Orders,” and “We Are All Immigrants Except for Indigenous Peoples.” Cars and trucks honked in support as they drove by, and some stopped to talk with the protesters.
Residents protesting said there are a lot of politically active residents and about 30 who have made it out to ICE Out of SOMA rallies. Recently, they’ve been collecting items for families of immigrants detained at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark.
Hildebrand and resident Rosemary Guttormsson said all the political action they take has to be done through word of mouth because residents are not allowed to put up any fliers or posters outside their homes or in the common areas regarding political action.
Cafferty said that as a non-profit, Springpoint’s policy against “overt political activities within the common areas is intended to respect the views and comfort of all our residents.”
The residents at the protest said they want to be assured that Winchester Gardens won’t let ICE on the premises.
Cafferty said Springpoint will comply with the law with respect to ICE or any other police or government official trying to access the community.
“Our team members are educated about what to do if ICE seeks access to private areas of our community without a warrant, the different warrants that may be issued, and what they must do if anyone presents such a document requesting access to Winchester Gardens,” Cafferty said.
Protesters got a lot of support from passing motorists, who honked or stopped and took a flier. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
After hearing about the four workers at Winchester Gardens losing their jobs because of the TPS ruling, Cynthia Galeota and Susan Vercheak, co-chairs of the SOMA Action immigration committee, invited residents to join them in protest,
Galeota said she was glad to see the employees were reinstated until July 10 but that is not an official termination date but “a placeholder date” for employers to watch as legal action winds through lower courts.
The residents who protested said Springpoint has an emergency fund that employees can apply to for assistance during emergencies and they are encouraging the affected employees to seek assistance. “What is a bigger emergency that losing your job and getting deported?” Hildebrand said.
Cafferty said if any of the team members lost wages because of this “temporary disruption to their schedule, we will reimbursing them for those wages lost. If it is determined that there are no further extensions of time, our affected team members will receive a lump sum payment of their earned but unused paid time off, and we will also consider at that time other ways to provide transition support.”
On a national level, Cafferty said, Springpoint is supporting efforts of its national association, Leading Age, “to extend the TPS program for Haitian and Syrian immigrants legally working in the United States”. Leading Age, along with its members, long term care providers, have successfully lobbied for the passage in the House of a bipartisan bill, HR 1689, that extends TPS to early 2029 for Haitian immigrants and is asking the Senate to support the companion bill, S4814, she said.
“We recognize that our Haitian employees and their families are living with genuine uncertainty, and we do not take lightly the human weight of these decisions,” Cafferty said. “But responsible stewardship of the organization and genuine respect for every team member require that we operate within the rule of law. We will continue to monitor developments closely, communicate proactively, and do everything within our legal authority to support the team members who have given so much to Springpoint and our residents.”
A passing truck was one of several that honked in support of the protesters. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Residents from Winchester Gardens joined members of SOMA action to support Haitian immigrants, particularly four Haitian employees who are losing their Temporary Protected Status. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
