Haitian TPS deportations planned by ICE as protections near end
CBS News says ICE has prepared arrests and removals of Haitians as more than 300,000 people face the end of TPS protections.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Plans for Haitian TPS deportations are being drawn up inside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with operations that could begin as early as this week, CBS News reported, citing two agency sources and federal documents it obtained.
The preparations come as more than 300,000 Haitians face the loss of Temporary Protected Status, a federal program that has allowed them to work legally in the United States and avoid deportation. The Supreme Court last month backed the Trump administration’s effort to end TPS programs for Haitians and Syrians, and the ruling’s binding mandate is expected to be issued to lower courts on Monday, according to CBS News.
What happens when Haitian TPS ends?
Temporary Protected Status gives eligible immigrants from countries hit by war, disaster or other emergencies a temporary shield from deportation and permission to work. When TPS expires, immigrants lose that work authorization and can be arrested and processed for deportation by ICE unless they have another lawful status, CBS News reported.
Immigrants who do not already have removal orders are generally allowed to go before an immigration judge before being deported, according to the report.
The internal plans cited by CBS News include arrests in Ohio, including areas with large Haitian communities such as Springfield. That city became a flashpoint during the 2024 presidential campaign after President Trump amplified baseless claims that Haitian immigrants there were eating cats and dogs.
The documents indicate that some Haitian migrants could be placed quickly on deportation flights to Haiti. CBS News said the size and full scope of the possible operations were not immediately clear, and the ICE sources spoke anonymously because the plans have not been publicly announced and could change.
Why deportations to Haiti are fraught
Any increase in removals to Haiti would land in the middle of a severe security crisis. CBS News reported that large parts of the country are controlled by criminal gangs, and the United States has generally limited deportation flights to Cap-Haïtien in the north because of instability and insecurity in Port-au-Prince.
The U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Haiti under any circumstances, citing widespread violence.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, told CBS News that it “does not discuss ongoing or future operations.” DHS also said TPS had become a “defacto amnesty program” and urged those losing status to leave the United States voluntarily.
In its statement to CBS News, DHS said, “What we would say now is it’s closing time which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” The department also referred to an offer of “a $2,600 check and a free flight home.”
How the TPS fight reached this point
Congress created TPS in 1990 for people from countries facing armed conflict, environmental disaster or similar emergencies. Haiti has had a version of TPS since the devastating 2010 earthquake, according to CBS News.
Most current Haitian TPS holders arrived during the Biden administration, either after crossing the southern border illegally or through legal-entry programs for Haitians and other migrants that the Trump White House has since ended, CBS News reported.
The Trump administration moved last year to end Haiti’s TPS designation, but the decision was delayed in court. In February, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ruled that the move was “in part” rooted in “racial animus,” citing remarks by Trump and then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about Haiti and immigrants.
The Supreme Court’s majority ruled last month that federal law blocks judges from reviewing TPS determinations and said Trump’s comments were not “overtly racial,” according to CBS News.
The reported preparations also follow a broader increase in ICE activity this summer. CBS News reported that ICE detentions last month reached a monthly high for Trump’s second term amid pressure for the agency to log 2,000 arrests a day.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.