The Trump administration is ending deportation protections for over half a million Haitians, marking its latest move to strip legal status from migrants as it accelerates deportations.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 521,000 Haitians will end on September 2. Earlier this year, Noem had already shortened the program’s duration, aligning with President Trump’s hardline immigration stance.
TPS, created by Congress in 1990, provides protection to individuals from countries facing natural disasters, armed conflict, or other crises. Despite continued instability in Haiti, including rampant gang violence and a lack of elections since 2016, the Department of Homeland Security claims conditions have improved enough to permit returns.
Advocates strongly disagree, warning that deporting Haitians now will expose them to dangerous conditions. Critics also point out that the Trump administration has frozen funding pledged to support a U.N.-backed mission in the country.
The move follows the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing the administration to proceed with ending TPS for Venezuelans, along with an order enabling the immediate revocation of parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
During his first term, Trump’s efforts to eliminate most TPS programs were blocked by federal courts, but recent rulings have cleared the way for such measures to advance.
