Over half a million Haitians to lose US deportation shield by September 2

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced the end of deportation protections for over half a million Haitian nationals, marking another step in the Trump administration's broader efforts to dismantle legal protections for migrants and intensify deportation efforts.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 521,000 Haitians will be officially terminated on September 2, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Earlier this year, Noem had already moved to shorten the duration of TPS for Haitian nationals.

This decision is in line with President Donald Trump's aggressive stance on immigration. Since returning to the office for a second term, Trump has prioritised both curbing illegal immigration and tightening restrictions on legal pathways. Secretary Noem, who shares Trump’s hardline views, had already acted in February to cancel TPS for around 350,000 Venezuelans, as well as thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians.

On May 19, the US Supreme Court authorised the administration to proceed with the termination of TPS for Venezuelan nationals, a move seen as a green light for further rollbacks. A separate Supreme Court order issued on May 30 also allowed the government to immediately end a separate immigration classification — known as "parole" — for nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

TPS, a humanitarian measure established by Congress in 1990, is intended for nationals of countries suffering from armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary crises. The status is reviewed periodically by the DHS Secretary, who must decide whether to extend, expand, or terminate it two months before it expires.

During Trump’s first term, efforts to eliminate most TPS designations were blocked by court challenges. Now, with the Supreme Court signalling support, those efforts appear to be regaining momentum.

A spokesperson for DHS claimed that current conditions in Haiti are stable enough to justify the decision. “The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home,” the statement said, although no specific details were provided to explain how the situation had improved.

Human rights groups and migrant advocates strongly disagree, arguing that the conditions in Haiti remain dire. The country has been without national elections since 2016, and the capital, Port-au-Prince, is largely controlled by heavily armed gangs.

By Tamilla Hasanova