- US ends TPS for 500,000 Haitians
- Decision made despite Haiti's worsening conditions
- Haitians face deportation after August 3
The United States government has announced that it will end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 500,000 Haitians living in the country, effective August 2025, the Department of Homeland Security revealed on Thursday.
This decision comes despite the worsening conditions in Haiti, where gangs control about 85% of the capital, and reports from the United Nations indicate a staggering 1,000% increase in sexual violence against children last year.
TPS is granted to nationals from designated countries facing unsafe conditions, such as armed conflict or environmental disasters. Haitians have held TPS status since 2010, following the devastating earthquake that year, and it will expire on August 3, 2025. As a result, those affected will lose their work permits and may be subject to deportation.
In addition to the decision to end TPS for Haitians, the Trump administration also announced on February 1, 2025, that the status would be terminated for Venezuelans living in the US, a move that is currently facing legal challenges from the National TPS Alliance.
The Department of Homeland Security criticized the TPS system, stating in a statement that it had been “exploited and abused.” The department claimed that it allowed Haitians who “entered the US illegally” to qualify for legal protected status.
However, this announcement has been met with strong criticism. Last year, over 5,600 people in Haiti were killed due to gang violence, and the United Nations has reported that families are “struggling to survive in makeshift shelters while facing mounting health and protection risks.”
Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley called the decision “shameful,” especially in light of the “unspeakable violence” in Haiti. She emphasized that Haitians who have lived in the US for up to 15 years could be at risk of deportation “for no reason other than being Haitian.”
During his presidential campaign, Trump made a controversial and baseless claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti had been eating domestic pets in a small Ohio city. City officials denied the claim, stating there had been “no credible reports” of such incidents. Former National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby dismissed the claim, calling it a “conspiracy theory… based on an element of racism.”
