The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) renewal that former President Joe Biden gave to over 500,000 Haitians was revoked by the Trump administration.
Foreign nationals unable to safely return home due to war, natural catastrophes, or other “extraordinary” circumstances are eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from the United States (US).
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According to a government release, Homeland Security head Kristi Noem stated, “President Trump and I are returning TPS to its original status: temporary.”
The recently released Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement says, “This is part of President Trump’s promise to rescind policies that were magnets for illegal immigration and inconsistent with the law.”
Originally set to expire on August 3, the Biden administration extended it for Haitians by 18 months, until February 2026.
The U.S. government forecasts that the number of Haitians eligible for protection has increased dramatically, from 57,000 in 2011 to 520,694 in 2024.
A DHS spokesperson said Biden’s TPS renewal was “far longer than justified or necessary.”
When Trump returned to power, he promptly requested a review of the whole TPS program. During his presidential campaign, Trump said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the United States.
He falsely claimed throughout his campaign that a recent wave of Haitian immigrants had moved into Ohio City, snatching and consuming locals’ dogs and cats.
According to Beatriz Lopez, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, a group dedicated to promoting legislative solutions for prospective citizens, “The Trump administration is ripping stability away from half a million Haitians who have built their lives here — children, workers, parents, and neighbors who have become integral to American communities and contributed to our economy.”
Lopez further noted, “This reckless decision doesn’t just harm them; it destabilizes the very businesses, families, and local economies that rely on them.”
Over 600,000 Venezuelans in the US lost their protection from deportation last month when the Trump administration removed it.
In January, Noem publicly voiced her opinion on Fox News, “The people of this country want these dirtbags out. They want their communities to be safe.”
Haiti, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2010, has seen decades of political instability and, more recently, a rise in armed group warfare.
Violence continues even after Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime was elected in November and a security mission supported by the United Nations (UN) was sent to assist Haiti’s national police.
The United Nations estimates that gang violence in Haiti claimed the lives of at least 5,601 persons in 2024.
