Key points:

• The Trump administration has revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 520,694 Haitians.
• This decision is driven by a commitment to mass deportations, as articulated during his campaign.
• Critics warn that returning Haitians could lead to a humanitarian disaster given the current violence and instability in the country.

The Trump administration has officially terminated protections that shielded roughly half a million Haitians from deportation, effectively removing their work permits and placing them at risk of removal by August of this year. This announcement marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, moving away from the Temporary Protected Status program, which was notably expanded during the Biden administration to cover an estimated 1 million immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security cited this decision as part of a broader initiative to honor campaign promises of mass deportations and to limit the use of TPS. According to their news release, they are vacating a prior decision made by the Biden administration to renew TPS for Haitians, which had granted individuals legal authority to remain in the country while not providing a long-term citizenship pathway.

This dramatic reversal comes as critics, including some Republican lawmakers and officials from the Trump administration, have long argued that the TPS process has been an 'automatic' renewal system regardless of the conditions in the home country. “For decades the TPS system has been exploited and abused,” the Homeland Security statement noted.

In 2011, it was estimated that only 57,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS, but by July of last year, this number had surged to over 520,000. Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, criticized the decision, saying, “To send 500,000 people back to a country where there is such a high level of death, it is utterly inhumane.”

According to the United Nations, over 5,600 people were reported murdered in Haiti last year, exacerbating fears for those who may be returned. Many individuals are currently living in overcrowded makeshift shelters in an environment plagued by violence, where gangs control approximately 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The emergence of new territorial conflicts among gangs has led to civilian massacres and widespread instability.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, Haiti's migration director, expressed concerns over the potential deportations, emphasizing that those sent back would face dire conditions in their homeland. “It’s very sad that people who left Haiti to look for a better life elsewhere... will come back,” he lamented. Recent data indicates that only 21 Haitians have been deported under the Trump administration.

The TPS was established by Congress in 1990 to protect individuals from deportation during crises—either natural disasters or civil unrest—granting them work authorization for periods of up to 18 months. As the Biden administration neared its end, approximately 1 million immigrants from 17 different countries were being protected under this policy. The Trump administration has also sought to terminate TPS for other nationalities, such as Venezuelans.

For further details, see the original articles from Los Angeles Times and Africa News.