First round of deportees removed to Haiti following TPS termination – The Mass Media
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun deporting Haitian former Temporary Protected Status holders, sending back a plane of over 100 deportees Aug. 20.
The plane arrived in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien where the director general of Haiti’s National Office of Migration, Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, told local reporters that several of the deportees plan to travel to areas in southern Haiti. According to Delva, main routes are controlled by gangs who fire into passing cars, making this journey extremely dangerous. Others plan to remain in Cap-Haïtien or travel west.
According to an article by The Haitian Times, the Haitian government was informed by the United States to expect weekly flights carrying deportees to arrive. These flights have been estimated to carry 250 deportees each, meaning 1,000 can be expected to arrive in Cap-Haïtien in just a month.
TPS for Haitians officially expired July 27 after multiple continuances. Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared that Haiti no longer met the standards for TPS in Feb. 2025, but a D.C. district court judge issued an order delaying the former Secretary’s decision. This order was overturned by a Supreme Court ruling June 25 of this year. Since the SCOTUS ruling, there have been many attempts to extend TPS for Haitians including a bill proposed by several lawmakers, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey amongst them. The bill, which would extend TPS until 2029, ultimately did not pass.
Activists and experts, both Haitian and American, have declared that Haiti is in no place to receive the amount of former TPS holders that may be deported in the coming months. Gang violence in Haiti has become a widespread crisis affecting over six million Haitians, more than half of its current population. Between March 6 and July 31, roughly 613 people have been killed and 375 have been left injured as a result of gang violence in Haiti.
The unrest has only worsened following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021. Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is overrun with gang activity, with an estimated 90% of residents being affected. Gangs in Port-au-Prince are known for using sexual violence and recruiting vulnerable children to maintain their control.
Past efforts, including those made by the Haitian authorities, have failed and even caused the loss of innocent Haitian lives. Most recently, the United Nations has created a new security force called the Gang Suppression Force that they believe, in combination with political progress, can help curb the rise in gang violence and ultimately make Haiti safer for Haitians on the island — and for the former TPS holders now returning.
The impact that the end of TPS has had on Haitian communities throughout the country has not gone unnoticed. According to a CNN article, Haitians have been given ankle monitors in Springfield, Ohio, leaving those affected humiliated and unsure of their future. These ankle monitors were given after residents received letters informing them they needed to come in regarding an “official matter.” In Miami, according to an article by USA Today, a once-bustling Haitian community has been forced to hide in their homes in fear of deportation. Many are now unable to work in the United States legally and businesses in the area are struggling.
There have been no major strides made by U.S. politicians to reinstate TPS since its expiration and Haiti has yet to announce a plan for how they plan to accommodate the TPS holders that will be arriving in the coming months.