Amazon warehouse workers lose jobs after Trump's immigration crackdown: 'We have done everything legally'

Amazon warehouse workers from countries Haiti and Venezuela have lost their jobs due to the Trump administration's cancellation of humanitarian immigration grams

Several former Amazon staffers who spoke to CNBC said they were dismissed by Amazon in late June after they couldn't get new work authorizations

Other companies including Walmart and Disney have been forced to fire employees or put them on leave in order to comply with shifting federal policies

In this articleAMZN your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTA worker prepares orders at an Amazon

Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDaphnee Poteau, a Haitian who came to the U

Last month, Poteau was ed by the Department of land Security, after the Trump administration canceled humanitarian immigration grams that allowed participants to and work legally in the U

For two years while applying for permanent

A notice from DHS told Poteau that her parole gram was being terminated

Her last day at Amazon was June 28

She's among a group of warehouse workers whose jobs have been eliminated since DHS revoked the parole gram that was created during the Biden administration

While Poteau tries to secure a spousal visa, her future in the U

She and Vincent, who's from Indiana, said they're concerned being able to afford rent and costly immigration fees. "We're taking it one day at a time, but it does leave me stressed that they're going to come and try to get her, even though she does have an asylum case pending in court," Vincent said in an interview. "Everything we've seen in the news shows they flagrantly no longer care what the laws say," Vincent said

Poteau and her terminated co-workers had been tected under grams that vided Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with temporary legal in the U

Many of the employees at IND8 are Haitian, a large enough contingent that some of the morning staff meetings are translated into Creole, Vincent said

Daphnee Poteau met her husband Kristopher Vincent while working at an Amazon warehouse in Indianapolis

Kristopher VincentAmazon last month began asking staffers who came to the U

Under the Biden-era gram to vide d work permits within a certain timeframe or they would be put on unpaid leave, according to documents viewed by CNBC

Several workers who spoke to CNBC said they were dismissed by Amazon in late June after they couldn't get new work authorizations

Amazon declined to say how many employees were let go ing the changes in immigration policy, but spokesperson Richard Rocha said the company prepared for potential staffing impacts due to changes in work authorization grams, and made adjustments to be in compliance with the law. "We're supporting employees impacted by the government's recent changes in immigration policy," Rocha said in a statement. "Over the past few months, we've been in regular communication with these employees the changes and are ensuring they're aware of all available resources. "The company has vided impacted employees with information where to find free or low-cost legal services, access to counseling support and other resources, Rocha said

A DHS spokesperson pointed to the agency's announcement terminating the humanitarian parole gram

Fired before Prime DayAs part of the Trump administration's broad immigration crackdown, DHS has eliminated not just the humanitarian parole gram

It's also separate grams that vided temporary tected to Venezuelans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Hondurans seeking refuge from their native countries, which have suffered from armed conflict and humanitarian crises

Last week, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration can't revoke the temporary tected, or TPS, of Haitian migrants

The White House said it will appeal the ruling

Amazon is far from alone

Other companies including Walmart and Disney have been forced to fire employees or put them on leave in order to comply with shifting federal policies

Among private employers in the U. , only Walmart has a bigger workforce than Amazon

The terminations started just as Amazon was gearing up for its annual Prime Day discount blitz, which began on Tuesday and lasts four days

The event is typically one of the busiest periods of the year for Amazon warehouse and dery employees, alongside the holiday shopping season

Amazon has counted on immigrants to meet a big part of its staffing needs

While Trump's policies create a challenge for large employers Amazon, the real devastation is being felt by the immigrant workers

Those who now find themselves unemployed and lacking documentation are at a higher risk of being targeted for deportation unless they can secure an alternative form of legal

Watch now2:4802:48The tariff extension was the greatest thing to happen to Prime Day, says UNCS' Brett RoseThe ExchangeChristopher Lubin, an Amazon warehouse worker in Delaware, lost his job at the company on June 27, a day before Poteau received her notice. "We have done everything legally in this country," said Lubin, 24, who is also from Haiti. "We haven't committed fraud

We go to school, we work, and we pay taxes. "DHS said it was revoking tections for Haitian nationals after a review by Secretary Kristi Noem determined "country conditions have imved to the point where Haitians can return in safety

In 2024, the TPS designation was ext through February 2026, as the country faced "rapidly deteriorating security, human rights and humanitarian" conditions, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council

Armed gangs control the majority of Port-au-Prince and violence has spread beyond the capital in recent months. 10 individuals from Haiti lost their jobs at an Amazon warehouse in Spokane, Washington, after DHS revoked the TPS gram, said Katia Jasmin, executive director of Creole Resources, which vides support to Haitian immigrants in the region

Serge, who asked to have his full name withheld out of fear of being targeted for deportation, came to the U

From Haiti nearly two years ago and secured a job at the Spokane warehouse as a packer

The situation in Haiti was dire when he left and it remains unsafe today, Serge said. "I witnessed violence and trauma, including the loss of family members who were killed," Serge said. "Others were displaced from their s and are now less

I genuinely feared for my life. "In desperation, he said he sought a safer future and secured a sponsor that allowed him to come to the U

It's "unjust" that Haitians are now being ordered to return to their country when it's plagued with violence, Serge said. "We're not just recipients of economic support," he said. "We're also contributors who help drive the economy. "Don’t miss these insights from CNBC Morgan Stanley says buy these five stocks that are set to rallyAmazon s form 'golden cross' as Prime Day kicks offInvestors expect bitcoin to break out to new records in the second half from a consolidation phaseGoldman Sachs says these buy-rated stocks offer solid dividendsWATCH: Economists grow concerned over economic impact of Trump immigration policieswatch now2:0302:03Trump immigration policies' impact on economyThe Exchange.