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Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants living in the United States.
The agency published federal register notice stating that the 353,000 Haitian migrants who currently have TPS will see their status expire in February. TPS protects eligible migrants from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country remain unsafe.
“After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary [Kristi] Noem concluded that Haiti no longer meets the legal requirements for TPS,” DHS said in a press release. “This decision was based on a review by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, data from relevant U.S. government agencies, and an analysis showing that allowing Haitian citizens to remain temporarily in the United States is inconsistent with U.S. national interests.”
DHS advised Haitian migrants under TPS to prepare to depart if they have no other legal basis for being in the United States.
Haitian migrant families head into a subway station in Quincy, Massachusetts, on July 26, 2024. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The agency advised them to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's CBP Home mobile app to report their departure from the United States.
“It's safe and convenient self-deportation process includes a free plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus and potential future opportunities to legally immigrate to the United States,” DHS said.
Haiti first received TPS in 2010 after an earthquake, and it has been repeatedly extended or renamed by successive administrations.
An anti-government protester prepares to throw another tire at a burning barricade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelin Joseph)
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Former President Joe BidenThe Russian administration extended TPS for Haitians into 2024, citing the country's “simultaneous economic, security, political and health crises” fueled by gangs and the absence of a functioning government. This extension will last until February 3, 2026.
Haiti has been in chaos for years, with natural disasters and political violence rocking the Caribbean country.
Governance effectively collapsed in 2021 with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, leaving a power vacuum. Kidnappings, banditry and lack of law enforcement have increased dramatically.
Coast Guard officers intercepted 132 Haitians on a boat earlier this year. (US Coast Guard)
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Number of people displaced by violence and instability More than 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Haiti this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
UNICEF, according to a DHS notice, estimated in October that more than 6 million people—more than half the population, including 3.3 million children—need assistance. humanitarian aid.
Some Haitians have tried to flee to the United States despite the Trump administration's hard-line approach to immigration. In February, for example, the Coast Guard intercepted 132 Haitians on a boat south of the Florida Keys. The Coast Guard boarded the 30-foot vessel and processed the migrants before they were repatriated to Haiti, officials said.
Fox News' Adam Sabes and Reuters contributed to this report..
