U.S. deports 161 people to Haiti as Trump administration moves to end TPS protections
CAP-HAÏTIEN, Haiti — The United States deported 161 people to Haiti on Thursday, marking the first major deportation flight to the nation since a legal victory allowed the termination of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, according to reporting by the Haitian Times.
The charter flight, departing from Alexandria, Louisiana, landed at Cap-HaÏtien International Airport in northern Haiti because ongoing gang violence has kept the main international airport in Port-au-Prince closed to commercial traffic.
The flight drew immediate praise from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who posted on X: “It’s a great day to deport illegal aliens. Good morning America!”
It’s a great day to deport illegal aliens. Good morning America! pic.twitter.com/eCfnmzHEPv
— Secretary Markwayne Mullin (@SecMullinDHS) August 20, 2026
According to officials at Haiti’s National Office of Migration, the 161 deportees included both former TPS holders and individuals who had recently served prison sentences in the U.S.
Many arriving passengers kept their faces covered to protect their identities out of fear of gang retaliation, while immigration officials offered returning migrants food, water, and emergency financial stipends of up to $65.
The flight comes following federal court rulings that lifted previous injunctions barring the deportation of Haitians affected by the expiration of TPS. The policy change leaves roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals who previously lived and worked legally in the United States facing potential removal.
Human rights advocates and aid organizations, including Florida Republican Reps. Maria Elvira-Salazar and Carlos Gimenez, expressed strong opposition to the resumption of flights, pointing out that Haiti is ill-equipped to absorb returning migrants amid an escalating security crisis.
Armed gangs currently control significant portions of the capital, and more than half the country’s population requires humanitarian assistance.
Haitian migration officials noted that several returnees face immediate danger attempting to travel to home districts controlled by armed groups, while others who spent decades in the U.S. or were raised elsewhere have few remaining ties to the country.