District II Commissioner Sam Kaufman sat down with This Week in South Florida host Glenna Milberg to discuss a looming Temporary Protected Status (TPS) crisis that could affect nine City of Key West employees across the transportation, port and public works departments — an issue first reported by Above the Fold.
TPS for several countries is set to expire Jan. 18, following a new immigration stance put forward by the Trump administration. City officials say they have been advised that, without federal action, they must separate the affected employees by Feb. 5 to remain in compliance.
Key West Cites TPS Expiration, Notifies 9 Employees of Potential Job Loss
The City of Key West has identified nine municipal employees whose work authorizations are set to expire under a federal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, potentially forcing their terminatio…
Kaufman told Milberg the situation poses “significant operational challenges,” noting that the impacted workers are integral to daily city services. City staff and commissioners have reached out to federal and state lawmakers requesting an emergency extension, citing the potentially far-reaching impacts the loss of TPS could have on Key West’s already strained service-based economy.
As of this week, no federal relief has been announced.
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TPS for several countries is set to expire Jan. 18, following a new immigration stance put forward by the Trump administration. City officials say they have been advised that, without federal action, they must separate the affected employees by Feb. 5 to remain in compliance.
Kaufman told Milberg the situation poses “significant operational challenges,” noting that the impacted workers are integral to daily city services. City staff and commissioners have reached out to federal and state lawmakers requesting an emergency extension, citing the potentially far-reaching impacts the loss of TPS could have on Key West’s already strained service-based economy.
As of this week, no federal relief has been announced.
The commission is expected to discuss the TPS situation at its next regularly scheduled meeting, set for Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 1300 White Street. The morning session will begin at 9 a.m., with the afternoon session set for 5 p.m. The meeting will be live streamed on the city’s website.
