Haitian immigrants are among the latest major targets of the Trump administration’s efforts to make life as hard as possible for people who’ve migrated to American shores.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reneged on the government’s pledge for Haitians in the country to live here under Temporary Protected Status, which meant that they would be free from the threat of deportation until February 2026. The government now says they can stay only until August under that designation.
In the Federal Register, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who has made a point of being in ICE raid photos and running TV ads to threaten undocumented immigrants, partially set aside the June 4, 2024, decision by former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to extend TPS status to February 2026.
It covered about 199,000 Haitian nationals and because it also gave new designation to Haiti for more TPS immigrants, another 321,000 new applicants would have qualified for the same period. But the change now means the extension only runs until Aug. 3, according to The Haitian Times. Those new applicants are also under this designation.
The original U.S. government TPS for Haitian immigrants launched in 2011, not long after the devastating earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince in 2010, killing an estimated 300,000 people. But because of continued chaos in the country that designation has been renewed several times.
Noem’s order effectively ends those renewals, and accuses the Biden administration of trying to “tie the hands of the Trump administration by extending Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status by 18 months—far longer than justified or necessary,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
But what the government is doing behind desks affects real people and their families. Speaking to Documented, a Haitian immigrant identified only as B. Mercius said that she applied for TPS after arriving in the United States in March 2024. Eight months later, she got her confirmation papers and later, a work permit. In Haiti, she worked as a nurse; in America she has taken home health aide courses. Now her work permit will expire soon and she fears deportation.
“I don’t think anyone is mentally prepared for this, given the situation in Haiti,” Mercius said. “Going back for me is restarting from zero. And all of this causes huge trauma.”
As many as 500,000 people could be subject to the same trauma, according to House Haiti Caucus co-chairs Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Yvette Clarke and Ayanna Pressley. “Haitians who have lived in the United States for up to 15 years, raised children, started businesses, and contributed to their communities are at risk of deportation for no reason other than being Haitian,” the three congresswomen said in a prepared statement.
What is happening to Haitian immigrants has already happened to undocumented Venezuelans in America (and could happen to Ukrainians soon). Because she deemed Venezuela no longer eligible for TPS status under the 2023 Biden administration policy, Noem has decided to end it effective April 2, just a few weeks from now.
A man identified in Documented only as “Á,” said that he had gone to Colombia from Venezuela after being critical of the government of President Nicolás Maduro, joining his brother in the U.S. in 2023. Now, he is at risk of having to go back and possibly face punishment in a repressive regime.
“I have a friend who spoke bad about the government and then was incarcerated,” he said in Spanish. “Most people would go to another country instead of Venezuela,”
But these actions are not going without pushback. A number of immigrant rights organizations have filed suit against Noem, the Department of Justice and other agencies over shutting down legal access programs for immigrants.
“While the threat of a mass detention camp in Guantanamo Bay is scary, the reality is that mass detention is already happening,” Sam Hsieh, Deputy Program Director of the Immigration Impact Lab, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said in a prepared statement. “Without these legal access programs, unrepresented immigrants in detention have lost their last lifeline and will be deported without the most basic due process protections—making this lawsuit all the more urgent.”
MORE CONTENT FROM THE URL MEDIA NETWORK
Officials ramp up advocacy to protect Haiti TPS, but some in community call for more outreach – The Haitian Times
Haitian Americans in Springfield tell their own stories – Documented
Surge in asylum applications from Haitians in Mexico as some seek alternative to US – The Haitian Times
Immigrant rights activists sound alarm on AI in asylum and visa processing – URL Media
