Amazon Workers Lose Jobs Before Prime Day : “We’ve Followed Every Rule” Caught in Trump Immigration Crackdown
Daphnee Poteau, a Haitian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2023, found more than just a job at an Amazon warehouse in Indianapolis—she found her husband, Kristopher Vincent, a longtime employee at the same facility known as IND8. But their future has suddenly become uncertain.
Last month, Poteau was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which informed her that her humanitarian parole—originally granted under a Biden-era program—was being revoked. Her last day at Amazon was June 28.
She is one of several Amazon warehouse employees impacted by the Trump administration’s decision to cancel programs that had allowed certain immigrants, including Haitians, to live and work in the U.S. while seeking permanent status. Many of the terminated workers, like Poteau, had legal permission to work under the now-defunct humanitarian parole initiative.
With her legal status now in jeopardy, Poteau is working to obtain a spousal visa. Meanwhile, she and Vincent are struggling to cover basic costs like rent and immigration legal fees. “We’re trying to stay hopeful, but it’s hard not to feel like we’re being hunted,” said Vincent. “She has an asylum case pending. We’ve done everything by the book.”
The Indianapolis facility has a significant number of Haitian employees—so much so that some team meetings are translated into Creole. But starting in June, Amazon began asking staff with parole status to show updated work permits or face unpaid leave. Several who couldn’t meet the deadline were dismissed.
Amazon has not disclosed how many employees were affected, but the company confirmed it had prepared for potential workforce disruptions due to federal immigration changes. A spokesperson said Amazon had communicated regularly with impacted employees and offered access to legal aid and counseling services.
The recent firings come as Amazon ramps up staffing for Prime Day, one of its busiest shopping periods of the year. Yet the timing only underscores the pressure immigrant workers are facing.
Beyond Amazon, other major U.S. employers—like Walmart and Disney—have also had to let go of workers whose temporary legal protections were removed.
Among private companies, Amazon ranks just behind Walmart in total headcount, with over 1.5 million employees globally, most of them based in warehouses across the U.S. In 2022, Amazon committed to hiring 5,000 refugees and displaced persons by the end of 2024.
But recent immigration rollbacks have upended that goal. In addition to ending the humanitarian parole program, the Trump administration has canceled temporary protections for migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Honduras—nations grappling with conflict, poverty, and political instability. Although a federal judge recently blocked the removal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, the ruling is now under appeal.
For many, the stakes are life-and-death.
In Spokane, Washington, around 10 Haitian workers at an Amazon warehouse were dismissed following DHS’s decision. One of them, Serge (name changed for safety), described the traumatic conditions he fled in Haiti—losing family members to violence and watching others become homeless.
“I came here legally. I had a sponsor. I followed the rules,” Serge said. “Now they’re telling us to go back to a country ruled by gangs, where my life is at risk.”
He added, “We don’t just receive economic support—we contribute to the economy. We work. We pay taxes. We help keep businesses like Amazon running.”
As policies shift, many immigrant workers are left in legal limbo—no longer welcome under protections that brought them here, yet too deeply embedded in American life to simply leave.
