The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that under the directive of Secretary Kristi Noem, it will be ending deportation protections for Haitian migrants who are in the US.
A DHS memo obtained by The Hill revealed that the agency is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, a designation that allows individuals to remain in the United States without fear of deportation due to unstable conditions in their home country. Approximately 520,000 Haitians currently benefit from TPS protections.
"Biden and Mayorkas attempted to tie the hands of the Trump administration by extending Haiti's Temporary Protected Status by 18 months—far longer than justified or necessary.,” Noem said in a statement. “We are returning integrity to the TPS system, which has been abused and exploited by illegal aliens for decades. President Trump and Secretary Noem are returning TPS to its original status: temporary.”
Haitians were first granted TPS in 2010 following a devastating earthquake. The Biden administration later extended the designation due to ongoing civil unrest and escalating gang violence, which led to the resignation of Haiti’s former president, who then fled the country.
The move follows a similar decision by DHS to rescind TPS protections for Venezuelans, which is now facing multiple legal challenges. On Thursday, lawsuits were filed against the department, arguing that DHS lacks the authority to revoke a previously granted TPS extension.
"The Secretary’s actions are illegal for multiple reasons,” the National TPS Alliance argued in its lawsuit. “At the outset, DHS has no authority to ‘vacate’ a prior TPS extension. The TPS statute tightly regulates the conditions under which TPS decisions can be made, setting time periods and other procedural rules that must be followed for both extensions and terminations.”
Given the legal battles surrounding the Venezuelan TPS decision, the administration’s directive regarding Haiti is expected to face similar court challenges.
