Trump admin set to let protected status for 350,000 Haitian migrants expire in February

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TheDepartment of Homeland Securityon Wednesday announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants living in the United States.

The agency posted afederal register noticestating that the 353,000 Haitian migrants who currently hold TPS will see their status expire in February.TPS protects eligible migrants from deportation and lets them work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country remain unsafe.

“After consulting with interagency partners, Secretary [Kristi] Noem concluded that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS,” DHS said in a news release.“This decision was based on a review conducted by U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services, input from relevant U.S.government agencies, and an analysis indicating that allowing Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is inconsistent with U.S.national interests.”

DHS told Haitian migrants under TPS to prepare to depart if they have no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States.

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Haitian migrant families with luggage walking through a Massachusetts T station.

Haitian migrant families head into a T 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 CBP Home mobile application to report their departure from the United States.

“This secure and convenientself-deportation processincludes a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future opportunities for legal immigration to the United States,” DHS said.

Haiti was first granted TPS in 2010 after an earthquake and has been repeatedly extended or redesignated by successive administrations.

An anti-government protester prepares to throw another tire atop a burning barricade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Feb.7, 2024.(AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

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Former PresidentJoe Biden’s administration extended TPS for Haitians in 2024, citing “simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises” in the country fueled by gangs and a lack of a functioning government.That extension lasts through Feb.3, 2026.

Haiti has been in turmoil for years, with natural disasters and political violence rocking the Caribbean nation.

Governance effectively collapsed in 2021 with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, leaving power vacuums.Kidnappings, gang rule and a lack of law enforcement have surged.

Coast Guard personnel intercepted 132 Haitians on a boat earlier this year.(U.S.Coast Guard)

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The number of peopledisplaced by violence and instabilityin Haiti has reached an unprecedented level, with more than 1.4 million people forced from their homes this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

UNICEF, according to the DHS notice, estimated in October that more than 6 million people — over half the population, including 3.3 million children — needhumanitarian assistance.

Some Haitians have attempted to flee to the U.S.despite the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration.For instance, in February, 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.

� Adam Sabes and Reuters contributed to this report.

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