Latest news with #TemporaryProtectiveStatus
Politico
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
DHS terminates temporary protected status for Haitians in the US
The Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced that it would terminate temporary protected status for Haiti, setting the groundwork for hundreds of thousands of Haitians to potentially be deported from the United States once the designation expires later this summer. The termination of temporary protected status — a designation that shields from deportation people who have traveled to the U.S. from countries that are deemed unsafe because of natural disasters, armed conflict or other extraordinary conditions — would put up to 500,000 Haitians at risk of deportation, as gang violence continues to roil the country. According to a DHS release, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'determined that conditions in Haiti no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements,' after concluding that conditions in the country have improved sufficiently for Haitians in the U.S. to return. The DHS plans to terminate the designation effective on Sept. 2. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' an unnamed DHS spokesperson said in the release. 'Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible.' But while DHS said Haiti is 'safe for Haitian citizens to return home,' the country still remains at a 'level four' designation by the State Department, which has advised Americans not to travel there due to risk of 'kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.' Haiti was also included in President Donald Trump's new travel ban. Trump has threatened mass deportation for Haitians since his presidential campaign, when he began attacking Haitian immigrants, zeroing in on migrants in Springfield, Ohio, that he said were 'destroying' the town's 'way of life.' Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the time boosted conspiracy theories about Haitians in Springfield eating a slew of local wildlife, including cats, dogs and geese, sparking outcry from Democrats. 'It's simply wrong,' then-President Joe Biden said of Trump and Vance's comments, adding that the Haitian American community was 'under attack.' The decision is the latest in the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and follows a February move by the DHS rescinding temporary legal protections for Haitians in the U.S. that had been granted under the Biden administration, which cited at the time the dangerous conditions in Haiti that made their return unsafe. The Trump administration has also made similar moves terminating protections for Afghans, Venezuelans and Cameroonians in the country, and won a legal battle in the Supreme Court in May after justices cleared the way for the administration to immediately end deportation protections for roughly 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Trump orders end to special immigration protections for half-million Haitians
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it is terminating legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, setting them up for potential said that conditions in Haiti have improved and Haitians no longer meet the conditions for the temporary legal termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, applies to about 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States, some of whom have lived here for more than a decade. It comes three months after the Trump administration revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who arrived legally in the country under a humanitarian parole program, and it is part of a series of measures implemented to curb Recently, the US Supreme Court overturned a federal judge's order preventing the administration from revoking the parole allows people already in the United States to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe. Immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon, were receiving those protections before President Donald Trump took office for his second term in Trump is ending protections and programs for immigrants as part of his mass deportations promises. During his political campaign he said his administration would scale back the use of TPS, which covered more than 1 million immigrants. His campaign highlighted unfounded claims that Haitians who live and work legally in Springfield, Ohio, as TPS holders were eating their neighbors' of thousands of Venezuelans and some Afghans have been told already that they're losing their TPS of the Haitians who benefit from TPS have requested asylum or other lawful immigration status that could protect them from deportation, although it is not clear how many could be left without any relief.'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.'The Department of State, nonetheless, has not changed its travel advisory and still recommends Americans 'do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.'Temporary protected status for Haitians expires on Aug. 3, and the termination will be effective on Sept. 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem advised TPS holders to return to Haiti using a mobile application called CBP violence has displaced 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle to contain an spiralling crisis, according to a recent report from the International Organisation for Migration. The report warned of a 24 per cent increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen having chased 11per cent of Haiti's nearly 12 million inhabitants from their people back to these conditions is a death sentence for many, stripping them of their fundamental right to safety and dignity,' said Tessa Pettit, a Haitian-American who is executive director of the Florida Immigrant Desir, 36, has been in the US since 2022 on asylum, but he says he is concerned by the Trump administration's decision to terminate TPS.'You see your friends who used to go to work every day, and suddenly—without being sick or fired—they just can't go anymore. It hits you. Even if it hasn't happened to you yet, you start to worry, 'What if it's me next?''Desir says his asylum court date was set for this year, but the judge rescheduled it for lives in Springfield, Ohio, with his wife and two children, and he works in a car parts manufacturing plant.- Ends
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
White House ending protected status for Haitian migrants, sparking fears in Massachusetts
The department set a Sept. 2 termination date for Haitians living in the country under temporary protected status. (The program ends Aug. 3 but officially takes effect Sept. 2). Protected status shields immigrants from deportation and grants them work permits. It is reserved for people fleeing countries in upheaval. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.' Advertisement In Massachusetts, Haitians are one of the state's largest immigrant populations. The local Haitian community and advocates for them decried President Trump's undoing of the protections. Pastor Dieufort Fleurissaint, a Haitian community advocate known by his nickname, Pastor Keke, said there was 'consternation' in Boston's Haitian community Friday evening as word spread. 'Everyone is calling to ask what's going to happen to their future here, to their employment, to the future of their children,' he said in a telephone interview. Fleurissaint said the conditions in Haiti have not improved as federal officials have suggested. Advertisement 'You have a humanitarian collapse,' he said. 'The decision today will leave returning Haitian citizens at very high risk of persecution, danger, homelessness. People have nowhere to go.' Fleurissaint said he was still processing the news himself. 'The only hope we have is God,' he said. 'God and to call upon our friends and allies, elected officials, to advocate on our behalf, so these families can be protected and find a way to enact permanent solutions.' Haitians were granted temporary protected status after the island nation suffered a devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. The designation has been extended several times. President Joe Biden extended it until 2026 right before he left office. Ruthzee Louijeune, 'It is also bad for our economy,' she said. 'Haitian health care workers with TPS helped our country get through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, often to the detriment of their own bodies and families," she said. 'Anyone who states that country conditions have improved in Haiti is actively and affirmatively lying,' she said. Representative Ayanna Pressley condemned the DHS decision on social media as 'an act of policy violence that could literally be a death sentence.' 'We should NOT be deporting anyone to a nation still dealing with a grave humanitarian crisis like Haiti,' Pressley wrote on Heather Yountz, senior immigration staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said, 'This is a heartbreaking example of the Trump administration stripping people of their legal status without a justified reason simply to fulfill the harmful mass deportations he promised.' Advertisement The idea that the gang-ridden country which hasn't seen an election in nearly a decade is safer 'is preposterous,' Yountz said. After a review of the conditions in Haiti from US Citizenship and Immigration Services and in consultation with the US Department of State, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined that Haitians no longer meet the requirements for TPS, Friday's statement said. The agency encouraged Haitians who don't have another means of gaining lawful status after their TPS status expires to self-deport, and use the US Customs and Border Protection app to report themselves leaving the country. Despite DHS's claims that Haitians could return home 'safely,' dozens of Haitians interviewed by the Globe in the past year have said that they would be unable to go back to Haiti without the threat of violence and severe economic instability back in their country. The State Department also cautions US citizens not to visit Haiti, The In Massachusetts, immigration advocates had been preparing for this moment since the Trump administration announced back in February that it would revoke the Biden extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants. 'We've been expecting this,' said Sarang Sekhavat, the Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. 'But it's horrible regardless.' Advertisement Some TPS holders have lived in Massachusetts for more than a decade after fleeing the aftermath of the earthquake, severe gang violence, and political turmoil. In 2021, the country's president was assassinated. 'It's not like the situation in Haiti has gotten better,' Sekhavat said. Sekhavat said that MIRA and its partners have been encouraging Haitians here under TPS to consult with attorneys, to see what kinds of options might be available to them. Some may have other means to stay in the country legally, like applying for asylum, or if they have US relatives or employers who could petition for their legal status. But, Sekhavat said, 'unfortunately, there's not a blanket answer for these folks.' Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights, The group said that DHS's assertions that conditions in Haiti have improved are 'simply false.' 'Haiti is experiencing unprecedented political violence, instability, and humanitarian collapse. Even the U.S. State Department warns Americans not to travel there — yet DHS insists Haitian families can safely return? That contradiction is indefensible,' the statement said. 'We are not backing down. We will use every legal tool at our disposal to stop this cruel and unlawful termination,' the statement added. Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio can be reached at
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Haitians face deportation: Trump ends legal protections for 500,000; TPS to expire by September
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians living legally in the United States could soon face deportation, after the Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Caribbean nation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that conditions in Haiti had improved sufficiently to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which currently covers approximately 500,000 Haitians, including some who have resided in the US for over a decade. The TPS status for Haitians will officially expire on August 3, with deportations beginning on September 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.' However, the US State Department still advises Americans not to travel to Haiti, citing widespread gang violence, crime, civil unrest, and poor access to healthcare. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti due to gang violence, with nearly 11% of the country's population forced from their homes. Despite these conditions, TPS holders are being asked to return to Haiti using a mobile application called CBP Home. The move is part of a broader campaign promise by President Donald Trump to carry out mass deportations and scale back the use of humanitarian immigration programmes. Earlier this year, the administration also revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who had entered under a separate parole scheme. The decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed the government to end that programme. 'Deporting people back to these conditions is a death sentence for many, stripping them of their fundamental right to safety and dignity,' said Tessa Pettit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump administration ends legal protections for half-million Haitians who now face deportations
MIAMI (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it is terminating legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, setting them up for potential deportation. DHS said that conditions in Haiti have improved and Haitians no longer meet the conditions for the temporary legal protections. The termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, applies to about 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States, some of whom have lived here for more than a decade. It is coming three months after the Trump administration revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who arrived legally in the country under a humanitarian parole program, and it is part of part of a series of measures implemented to curb immigration. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge's order preventing the administration from revoking the parole program. TPS allows people already in the United States to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe. Immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon, were receiving those protections before President Donald Trump took office for his second term in January. President Trump is ending protections and programs for immigrants as part of his mass deportations promises. During his political campaign he said his administration would scale back the use of TPS, which covered more than 1 million immigrants. His campaign highlighted unfounded claims that Haitians who live and work legally in Springfield, Ohio, as TPS holders were eating their neighbors' pets. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and some Afghans have been told already that they're losing their TPS status. Some of the Haitians who benefit from TPS have requested asylum or other lawful immigration status that could protect them from deportation, although it is not clear how many could be left without any relief. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.' The Department of State, nonetheless, has not changed its travel advisory and still recommends Americans 'do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.' Temporary protected status for Haitians expires on Aug. 3, and the termination will be effective on Sept. 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. DHS advised TPS holders to return to Haiti using a mobile application called CBP Home. Gang violence has displaced 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle to contain an spiraling crisis, according to a recent report from the International Organization for Migration. The report warned of a 24% increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen having chased 11% of Haiti's nearly 12 million inhabitants from their home. 'Deporting people back to these conditions is a death sentence for many, stripping them of their fundamental right to safety and dignity,' said Tessa Pettit, a Haitian-American who is executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Frantz Desir, 36, has been in the U.S. since 2022 on asylum, but he says he is concerned by the Trump administration's decision to terminate TPS. 'You see your friends who used to go to work every day, and suddenly—without being sick or fired—they just can't go anymore. It hits you. Even if it hasn't happened to you yet, you start to worry, 'What if it's me next?'' ——-
