The Trump administration has revoked protections for over 500,000 Haitians in the U.S., jeopardizing their status and leading to potential deportations starting this summer. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was originally granted due to natural disasters and ongoing violence in Haiti. Under Biden, Haitians received an 18-month extension, but this has now been rescinded by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Immigrant advocates are challenging these cuts in court, citing potential violations of the law and the dire circumstances in Haiti. Concerns abound for affected individuals, like Sherika Blanc, who fear for their future in the U.S.
On Thursday, the Trump administration removed protections for countless Haitians living in the United States, placing them at risk of deportation this summer, as detailed in government documents and information from a Department of Homeland Security official.
This decision, signed earlier this week by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is part of President Trump’s extensive immigration crackdown, affecting individuals whom the Biden administration had previously allowed to stay in the country.
The Haitians impacted by this ruling had been residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, designed to assist people unable to return safely to their home countries due to disasters or conflicts. Over 500,000 Haitians in the U.S. qualify for this status.
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had granted these individuals an 18-month extension of their protections before leaving office. However, on Thursday, Ms. Noem rescinded that extension, leading to the expiration of these protections in August rather than the following February.
Ms. Noem now faces the decision of whether to entirely revoke protections for Haitians—a likely scenario, given Trump and his allies’ criticism of Temporary Protected Status, which they argue is misused and allows individuals to remain in the country indefinitely.
Some Haitian migrants have maintained this protected status since 2010, following the earthquake in Haiti when the Obama administration awarded protections to Haitian citizens.
Last month, the Trump administration also declared that Venezuelans would lose their protected status from April onward, adversely impacting 600,000 individuals who thought they were secure against deportation and would retain work permits until at least the fall of 2026.
Trump previously indicated that he would revoke protections for Haitians, stating, “Absolutely I’d revoke it,” in an October interview with News Nation, following unfounded claims he made about Haitians in Ohio.
An anonymous homeland security official explained that the agency reduced the protections by six months to prevent the final decision from being drawn out.
Immigrant advocates are already contesting the Trump administration’s cuts to the T.P.S. program in federal court. Previous attempts during Trump’s first term to terminate the program for certain countries were blocked by federal rulings.
On Wednesday night, a advocacy organization challenged the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Venezuelan protected-status program, asserting the move was illegal and requesting an injunction from a judge.
“Venezuela is in crisis. Even Trump admits that. The flow of Venezuelans to the U.S. due to their country’s humanitarian disaster is precisely why T.P.S. exists,” stated Emi MacLean, attorney with the A.C.L.U. of Northern California who is part of the lawsuit against the government.
Ahilan Arulanantham, an attorney and co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the U.C.L.A. School of Law, stated that the reduction in protections for Haitians was illegal and might have significant repercussions.
“T.P.S. has provided a vital lifeline for many in the Haitian community, enabling them to live and work in the U.S. amidst Haiti’s immense political, social, and economic turmoil,” he remarked.
The Biden administration’s decision to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians last year referenced ongoing issues in Haiti, such as rampant violence and political instability.
Sherika Blanc, a 34-year-old Haitian woman with protected status since 2010, expressed that the recent decision felt devastating. Blanc was a plaintiff in the successful lawsuit against the Trump administration’s effort to revoke protections for Haitians in 2018.
“I am heartbroken over the uncertainty of our situation and the current state of Haiti,” she shared.
Blanc mentioned she was contemplating leaving the United States with her four children, all born in America.
“Ultimately, we feel unwelcome,” she concluded.