A few of the Haitians at an emergency gathering on Monday expressed their love for their country.
They also expressed gratitude to America for extending a welcome through TPS while Haiti is in crisis.
They said they look forward to returning to their homeland when it is safe to do so -- which many say it is not.
More than a dozen elected leaders agree and are calling on the Trump administration to acknowledge that and to expend their temporary protection status.
"They had their Federal Aviation Authority say it's not safe to fly planes over Port-au-Prince, the same Trump administration said it's safe to return, their state department says it's not safe to travel to Haiti, so what we're talking about it's a glaring contradiction," said New Jersey state Rep. Chigozie Onyema.
East Orange has a robust community of Haitian immigrants. Most recently, many were granted TPS in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that devastated the island nation.
"For those of us that have loved ones in need of care we are talking about nurses and nurses assistants who protected them at their most vulnerable, we're not just talking about a nameless and faceless group of people, we're talking about our neighbors, our friends and family," Onyema said.
Haitians are the second largest group with TPS status in the U.S. behind Venezuela.
As ICE raids spread across the country, U.S.-based Haitian organizations are calling on support from the community.
"Call your state representatives and flood their phones, their emails and request for them to demand of the federal administration request a stay and/or an extension of TPS," said Councilman Bergson Leneus with the East Orange City Council.
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