Noem prepares to deport 500,000 immigrants from one long-troubled island

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protective Status for approximately 500,000 foreign nationals as part of the Trump administration’s effort to clamp down on the immigration crisis.

Under former President Joe Biden, the federal government vastly expanded so-called lawful pathways to entry, enabling millions of immigrants to come to the United States. One of those pathways included the expansion of Temporary Protected Status, which was created to shield foreign nationals from deportations based on temporarily unstable conditions in their home countries.

‘This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary.’

President Donald Trump vowed to roll back the former administration’s overuse of the program, but faced legal challenges for attempting to end these deportation shields. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a monumental win in May, allowing the DHS to revoke the TPS program.

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Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

On Friday, Noem announced the termination of TPS for Haiti, which is now slated to end for approximately 500,000 Haitian nationals currently in the United State on Sept. 2.

Haiti was initially designated for TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake hit the island, and the federal government issued numerous redesignations extending it throughout the Biden administration.

Under the leadership of former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS argued that it extended protected status due to Haiti’s “simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises” — ongoing and intractable problems.

“Haitian gangs are the primary source of violence and instability in Haiti and pose an increasing threat as they continue to escalate and expand their influence and geographic presence over large portions of metropolitan Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, as well as to several of Haiti’s ten departments (regional administrative divisions),” the DHS stated.

Noem’s DHS contended that “Haiti no longer continues to meet the conditions for designation for TPS.”

“For several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Haitians arriving in the United States irregularly, particularly via land,” the DHS statement reads. “This pattern of large-scale irregular migration as a result of ‘pull factors’ has continued for years.”

RELATED: Trump admin revokes protected status extension for Venezuelan nationals

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The DHS acknowledged that gang activity in Haiti remains an ongoing issue. However, it argued that Haiti’s “lack of government control” has had “direct consequences for U.S. public safety.”

“Haitian gang members have already been identified among those who have entered the United States and, in some cases, have been apprehended by law enforcement for committing serious and violent crimes,” the statement reads.

“This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,” a representative for DHS said in a press release.

“The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home,” the representative continued. “We encourage these individuals to take advantage of the department’s resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the [Customs and Border Protection] Home app. Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible.”

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