trump administration Officially Halts Protected Status for Haitians In US
The Trump administration officially moved to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for haitian nationals in the United States, with the designation set to expire on February 3, 2026. This decision impacts nearly 350,000 Haitian individuals currently residing in the U.S.
The TPS designation had been granted to Haiti following a series of devastating events,beginning with the 2010 earthquake that caused widespread destruction and economic hardship.Though, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined that “no extraordinary and temporary conditions” currently exist in Haiti that would prevent individuals from safely returning.
According to a Federal Register filing by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even if such conditions were found, terminating TPS for Haiti is “contrary to the national interest of the United States” and would not align with a foreign policy focused on a “secure, sovereign, and self-reliant Haiti.” DHS acknowledged that “certain conditions in Haiti remain concerning,” specifically citing a lack of a central authority capable of providing sufficient law enforcement facts to ensure the national security of the United states. The DHS stated that immigration policy should not incentivize continued emigration from Haiti.
This move follows a period of legal challenges.In July, a federal judge halted the Trump administration’s earlier attempt to prematurely end TPS and work permits for approximately 521,000 Haitian migrants. The judge, Brian Cogan, ruled that Secretary Noem had not followed the process mandated by Congress for reviewing Haiti’s TPS designation.Earlier in the year, the DHS had reversed a 2024 extension of TPS granted by the Biden administration, shortening the status’s expiration date to September 2, 2024, instead of February 3, 2025.
TPS, established by Congress in 1990, provides a temporary safe haven for individuals from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other emergencies, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. The trump administration pursued a broader effort to dismantle TPS programs, seeking to revoke protections for nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Syria, Sudan, and Venezuela.
The biden administration later expanded the TPS policy, extending protections to new arrivals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti, Ukraine, and Venezuela, some of whom entered the U.S. through the southern border or on temporary visas.
