MIAMI — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that it will be ending legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, putting them at risk of deportation. According to the DHS, conditions in Haiti have reportedly improved, thus Haitians no longer qualify for temporary legal protections under the current guidelines.
This move will affect approximately 500,000 Haitians residing in the United States, many of whom have lived in the country for over ten years. The termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) comes three months after the Trump administration withdrew legal protections for numerous Haitians who had entered the U.S. under a humanitarian parole program. This action is part of a broader series of measures aimed at reducing immigration.
The U.S. Supreme Court had recently overturned a lower court’s decision that prohibited the administration from dismantling the humanitarian parole program.
TPS allows immigrants already in the United States to remain and work legally if their home countries are deemed unsafe. Before President Donald Trump assumed office for his second term in January, immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Lebanon, were availing themselves of these protections. Now, TPS and similar programs are being rescinded as President Trump fulfills his campaign promises to curb immigration and carry out large-scale deportations.
During his campaign, President Trump advocated reducing the use of TPS, which safeguarded over a million immigrants. He stirred controversy with unfounded claims that Haitian TPS holders residing in Springfield, Ohio, were consuming their neighbors’ pets.
Already, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and some Afghans have been informed that their TPS status is being revoked.
Some Haitian TPS beneficiaries have applied for asylum or other legal immigration statuses to safeguard against deportation. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain how many will be left without any relief.
A DHS spokesperson stated, “This decision restores integrity to our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protected Status is indeed temporary. The environmental conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to allow Haitian citizens to return home safely.”
However, the Department of State has not altered its travel advisory, which continues to urge Americans to avoid traveling to Haiti due to the risks of kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and inadequate healthcare.
The TPS for Haitians is set to expire on August 3, with the termination taking effect on September 2, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. DHS has advised TPS holders to return to Haiti using a mobile application called CBP Home.
Despite these claims of improved conditions, gang violence has displaced 1.3 million people throughout Haiti, as the national and international communities struggle to manage the escalating crisis. A recent report from the International Organization for Migration indicates a 24% increase in displaced individuals since December, with armed groups forcing approximately 11% of Haiti’s population of nearly 12 million to flee their homes.
“This decision will place many in danger, stripping them of their basic right to safety and dignity,” commented Tessa Pettit, a Haitian-American and executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
Frantz Desir, who has been in the U.S. since 2022 seeking asylum, expressed concern over the administration’s decision to terminate TPS. “When you see your friends unable to go to work anymore, without being sick or fired, it hits you. Even if it hasn’t happened to you yet, you start wondering, ‘What if I’m next?'”
Desir explained that his asylum hearing was scheduled for this year but has been postponed until 2028. He currently lives in Springfield, Ohio, with his wife and two children, and is employed in a car parts manufacturing plant.