Haitians face deportation: Trump ends legal protections for 500,000; TPS to expire by September

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians living legally in the United States could soon face deportation, after the Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Caribbean nation.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that conditions in Haiti had improved sufficiently to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which currently covers approximately 500,000 Haitians, including some who have resided in the US for over a decade. The TPS status for Haitians will officially expire on August 3, with deportations beginning on September 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed.“This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,” a DHS spokesperson said. “The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.”However, the US State Department still advises Americans not to travel to Haiti, citing widespread gang violence, crime, civil unrest, and poor access to healthcare.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti due to gang violence, with nearly 11% of the country’s population forced from their homes.Despite these conditions, TPS holders are being asked to return to Haiti using a mobile application called CBP Home.The move is part of a broader campaign promise by President Donald Trump to carry out mass deportations and scale back the use of humanitarian immigration programmes. Earlier this year, the administration also revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who had entered under a separate parole scheme. The decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed the government to end that programme.“Deporting people back to these conditions is a death sentence for many, stripping them of their fundamental right to safety and dignity,” said Tessa Pettit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.