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Sarah Betancourt

@sweetadelinevt.bsky.social
884 followers 321 following 442 posts

Immigration Reporter @gbhnews.bsky.social #desgraciada 🇵🇷 journalist since 2007. Occasional freelancer elsewhere. IRE award 2018 w/ ProPublica.

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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18h
The woman walked away while making profanity-laced remarks about Mexico (to people waiting to take a photo of a family member about to get engaged) www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...
yahoo.com
Woman Tells Family to "Go Back to Mexico" During Laguna Beach Proposal as Camera Rolls
A Southern California videographer was hiding in a Laguna Beach park, waiting to capture her sister’s surprise engagement, when another parkgoer approached and began questioning whether the group was ...
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A.S., told GBH News that when he was detained at Plymouth’s ICE detention facility, he felt pressure to self-deport to his Middle Eastern country or be sent to a country with a third-country agreement that he had never been to—Uganda. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Mass. detainees could face third-country deportations — again
Attorneys, advocates and a former detainee describe how the policy has played out over the past 18 months, in and out of the courtroom.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Massachusetts detainees and attorneys are worried about third-country deportations again. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Mass. detainees could face third-country deportations — again
Attorneys, advocates and a former detainee describe how the policy has played out over the past 18 months, in and out of the courtroom.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Some of the detained include individuals who were protected by Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement, a Biden-era program for people who are victims and witnesses of labor investigations and violations. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Immigrants, attorneys describe ‘chaotic’ few days of ICE detentions on South Coast
In New Bedford alone, at least 40 people have been detained.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The South Coast is seeing the biggest ICE operation it has seen in years. In New Bedford alone, at least 40 people have been detained since Monday, according to advocates, and at least three more in Fall River. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Immigrants, attorneys describe ‘chaotic’ few days of ICE detentions on South Coast
In New Bedford alone, at least 40 people have been detained.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Three undocumented brothers who shared an apartment in New Bedford went to a Market Basket on Monday… www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Immigrants, attorneys describe ‘chaotic’ few days of ICE detentions on South Coast
In New Bedford alone, at least 40 people have been detained.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Attorneys have updated @gbhnews.bsky.social that this number is now at least 31 individuals. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
One LUCE verifier described fellow verifiers having to choose between blowing a whistle to call attn to ICE in front of a school, but potentially scare children. She separately described one rideshare driver was pulled out of his car during a ride. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Antonia Lucas says that she and her partner Miguel Ixcun were driving home around noon on Monday when two vehicles stopped them, blocking their vehicle in front and behind.... www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ixcuna was one of over two dozen people detained at roadside stops in New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Fall River by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday and Tuesday… www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
At least 2 dozen immigrants detained in ICE arrest wave across New Bedford, Dartmouth and Fall River
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that she's demanding answers after the arrests in southeastern Massachusetts.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The changes are the result of the Trump administrations’ One Big Beautiful Bill and are ultimately creating eligibility changes that affect immigrants’ access to health coverage and state Medicare programs. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Health advocates warn of MassHealth changes for immigrants coming Oct. 1
About 7,300 immigrants will be impacted, according to Health Law Advocates
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Attys recounted how during scheduling hearings, IJ Cooper said he’d had a good experience visiting Brazil, and implied that because he had had a good experience, he couldn’t imagine why anyone would be afraid to return to Brazil for valid reasons. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Attorneys accuse Chelmsford immigration judge of bias in failure to follow protocol
Several immigration attorneys say that Judge Christopher Cooper, one of the new temporary judges at Chelmsford Immigration Court, appears to be working too closely with government lawyers.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One attorney had to pause her maternity leave after an associate messaged her frantically saying the immigration judge was making irregular decisions. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Attorneys accuse Chelmsford immigration judge of bias in failure to follow protocol
Several immigration attorneys say that Judge Christopher Cooper, one of the new temporary judges at Chelmsford Immigration Court, appears to be working too closely with government lawyers.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Trump administrations new public charge rule goes into effect today for green card applicants. Here's what changes: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
wgbh.org
‘Public charge’ changes are coming. Here's what they mean for green card applicants.
As of Sept. 18, the federal government will take a harder line on green card applicants based on their use of public assistance.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Sailors? Long before green cards and civics tests, here's what U.S. naturalization looked like www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“They say like, 'I had WIC for my child. I had to give them food. I had to give them milk. Does that mean now I can’t provide for my child?” recounted Tania Martinez of @aila.org New England. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
‘Public charge’ changes are coming. Here's what they mean for green card applicants.
As of Sept. 18, the federal government will take a harder line on green card applicants based on their use of public assistance.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“It’s like replacing the U.S. Olympic diving team with a bunch of kids told to do belly flops — that’s what these judges are doing. They’re following orders,” said Heather Yountz, of @masslawreform.bsky.social. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Immigration legal reps decry ‘mega-master’ hearings, lack of due process in court
Former immigration judge says court is ‘failing’ to give immigrants due process.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“It’s nerve-wracking. It’s like your entire world, it’s backwards now. It’s like somebody moved the rug under you and everything is crumbling down,” said Maria, a Salvadoran TPS recipient who works in water utilities. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Over 7,300 Salvadorans in Massachusetts could face deportation with end of TPS
Temporary protected status for immigrants from El Salvador is set to expire Wednesday, but the federal government hasn't said what it will do with those who hold that status.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Massachusetts DACA recipients talk about the court decision that forces them to stay in the US— or risk pending green card applications, and the prospect of being unable to re-enter the country. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Immigrants here under DACA and TPS face tougher travel restrictions under new federal rule
Some Massachusetts immigrants could risk losing their green card if they leave the country for a short time, often for family emergencies, under a new rule governing how immigration officials view “ad...
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
He Spent 27 Years on Death Row as a Wrongfully Convicted Man. www.propublica.org/article/loui...
propublica.org
He Spent 27 Years on Death Row as a Wrongfully Convicted Man. What Comes Next?
23-hour solitary confinement. 115-degree heat. Jimmie Duncan is haunted by the decades he spent in Louisiana’s Angola prison — and how, even after being released, he still isn’t truly free.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Some of the over 8,000 Nepalis in Massachusetts are reeling, waiting to hear from friends and family after Wednesday’s floods in the country’s Himalayan region www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Local Nepalis hope to find friends and family impacted by devastating floods
Thousands are still missing as rescuers try to reach villages that were swept away.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Whaaaat. El Gran Combo to headline Boston festival www.axios.com/local/boston... @stephmsolis.bsky.social
axios.com
El Gran Combo to headline Boston festival
It will be the Puerto Rican band's first outdoor show in Boston in decades.
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Reposted by Sarah Betancourt
gbhnews @gbhnews.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Twelve of the 14 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit through Project Citizenship earlier this year after being denied naturalization have now become US citizens. bit.ly/4zvoGFp
bit.ly
12 green card holders become US citizens after earlier effort by Trump administration to block them
Twelve of the 14 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit through Project Citizenship earlier this year after being denied the ability to naturalize have now become US citizens.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
“The behavioral health impacts we're seeing aren’t isolated incidents. They are predictable consequences of policies that separate families, “said Pietra Adami, organizing director at Brazilian Women’s Group. www.instagram.com/reel/DcRDkUJ...
instagram.com
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
“Unfortunately we have seen an increase of families with increased mental health needs due to the trauma & the pain that they’ve been experiencing,” said Kevin Salazar of Cambridge Health Alliance’s urgent care community behavioral health centers. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... #cambma
wgbh.org
Despite need for immigrant mental health support, Mass. lacks resources
There is no coordinated system to address the behavioral health of immigrants in Massachusetts. But the needs are great
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Reposted by Sarah Betancourt
gbhnews @gbhnews.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
La Colaborativa in Chelsea holds wellness groups for immigrant families, including those impacted by detention. bit.ly/4hDjoBA
bit.ly
Despite need for immigrant mental health support, Mass. lacks resources
There is no coordinated system to address the behavioral health of immigrants in Massachusetts. But the needs are great
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Learn more about existing mental health resources for immigrants impacted by detention in Massachusetts. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
The second story in the @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social @gbhnews.bsky.social series, focused on the limited services currently available to Massachusetts families impacted by ICE detention. read here: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
wgbh.org
Despite need for immigrant mental health support, Mass. lacks resources
There is no coordinated system to address the behavioral health of immigrants in Massachusetts. But the needs are great
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
On 89-7, we talk with Congresswoman @pressley.house.gov about her joint oversight visit to the Plymouth ICE detention center.
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Reposted by Sarah Betancourt
Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition @miracoalition.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
She said, ‘What am I going to do? They’re going to deport you, they’re going to hurt you. And what will I do with the children?”” said Catarino Castro. “That idea got stuck in her head and triggered that anxiety, where she became consumed by fear. Read more ⤵️ ow.ly/rzlL50Zy9yE
ow.ly
Silent detention: Mental health impact of ICE arrests on families reaches crisis point
Immigrant families are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis due to detention, and the barriers to getting help are both structural and cultural.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
@gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Los Primos Barbershop in East Boston has a donation collection for people to drop off clothes & blankets in good condition, flashlights, batteries, new hygienic items, and first aid materials. They're sending the first shipment to Colombia soon. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
‘It was like the end of the world’: Local Colombians react to earthquake, launch fundraising efforts
Massachusetts and Rhode Island Colombians say they've heard from relatives and friends about the devastation in the country, and multiple Colombian businesses are raising money to help.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
In her last days, Jeronima Quinilla Castro didn’t sleep. The memory of the detention of her husband, Catarino Castro, by ICE in a random road-side stop remained fresh. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
@gbhnews.bsky.social, in partnership with @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social, published the first feature in an ongoing series about the impact of detention on the mental health of immigrant families. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
wgbh.org
Silent detention: Mental health impact of ICE arrests on families reaches crisis point
Immigrant families are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis due to detention, and the barriers to getting help are both structural and cultural.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The moment I’ve anticipated for five years is happening. I have the Arthur theme song stuck in my head for no reason.
static.klipy.com
Arthur Sings 'Hey Bhagwan' Theme Song
ALT: Arthur Sings 'Hey Bhagwan' Theme Song
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
“My family, we’re discussing how we are going to manage the future. I try to process my trauma right now,” said Jean, a Haitian TPS holder living in Boston who worked as a parking garage manager at a local hospital and was laid off Monday. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Employers begin layoffs of Haitian protected status holders
Layoffs of Haitian workers could impact the continuity and quality of care for people who benefit from human service programs.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Bay Cove Human Services had to lay off several Haitian employees who had temporary protected status, including a medication specialist and nursing assistants. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Employers begin layoffs of Haitian protected status holders
Layoffs of Haitian workers could impact the continuity and quality of care for people who benefit from human service programs.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The @aclum.bsky.social has filed a first-of-its-kind records lawsuit against the Department of Defense related to the usage of active duty military personnel as immigration judges. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
ACLU of Mass. sues feds over records on military personnel used as immigration judges
The organization says the program, which appears to have placed at least three assigned active duty military personnel in Boston and Chelmsford’s immigration courts, “raises a number of troubling and ...
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were killed weeks after González de la Cruz self-deported to be with her husband, who was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
stlpr.org
Overland couple shot dead in Guatemala after local ICE stop led to deportations
The couple’s 14-month-old daughter was found crying beside her mother’s body in a sugarcane field last week, according to Guatemalan authorities and media.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
New visa rules could spur brain drain in Massachusetts, and cause chaos for students, medical residents. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
New federal rules could spur brain drain at Mass. universities, experts warn
A new burden on international students the Trump administration plans to impose this fall will limit how long student visas last.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Some home and nursing care employers decided to not wait for guidance after the SCOTUS decision, laying Haitian caregivers with TPS off, or putting them on leave, illegally. Today the feds extended the work permit date to July 24. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
As feds extend work permit date for Haitians, some Mass. employers preemptively cut workers
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Friday that employment authorization for Haitians with temporary protected status is valid until July 24.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Israeli strike kills World Cup screening organizer in Gaza just before kickoff, apnews.com/article/gaza...
apnews.com
Israeli strike kills World Cup screening organizer in Gaza just before kickoff
Health authorities in Gaza say an Israeli strike killed an organizer of public screenings of World Cup matches in the enclave.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Beneath the surface, immigration lawyers and advocates say detentions have not only continued across Massachusetts since the World Cup started in early June — they’ve increased in frequency. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
ICE detentions rise in Massachusetts amid World Cup festivities
Immigration case filings in Massachusetts federal court have grown in June and July.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
At 9:45 on Morning Edition, 89-7: a Brighton mom had two choices from ICE- be detained immediately and separated from 3 daughters, or self deport within 72 hours and be separated from 2. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
wgbh.org
Brighton mom from Honduras forced to self-deport with US citizen daughter
The sudden move by the federal government and courts forced the family to make an impossible decision — in less than 72 hours.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“I need to make sure I’m strong and I need to make sure I don’t get depressed, because if anything goes wrong with me, then my mom and my little sister are not gonna be OK,” said Damary Melgar,  www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
This is what a forced self-deportation looks like. A mom, and three sisters, over 2,000 miles apart. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Brighton mom from Honduras forced to self-deport with US citizen daughter
The sudden move by the federal government and courts forced the family to make an impossible decision — in less than 72 hours.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
“The framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to every freeborn person in this land, and we keep that promise today," said Carol Rose of @aclum.bsky.social. www.wgbh.org/news/nationa... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s proposed limits
The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Homecare aide Marie Fleurival was making breakfast--she hadn’t yet heard the news. She turned off the stove & went silent for several seconds. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “What are we gonna do?” A TPS recipient, she owns her own home & has a son in middle school. www.wgbh.org/news/nationa...
wgbh.org
Locals react as Supreme Court allows end of legal protections for Haitians, Syrians
The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court after judges postponed the end of the program for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
“You remain protected today. The termination of TPS is expected to go into effect once the Supreme Court formally issues its judgment, which could happen in a matter of days or weeks,” said @massago.bsky.social www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
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Sarah Betancourt @sweetadelinevt.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I spoke with local Haitians with temporary protected status and Haitian leaders about the impacts this #SCOTUS decision will have. www.wgbh.org/news/nationa... @gbhnews.bsky.social
wgbh.org
Locals react as Supreme Court allows end of legal protections for Haitians, Syrians
The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court after judges postponed the end of the program for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
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