The Donald Trump-led US government will end the temporary protected status (TPS) for 500,000 Haitians living in the country in August, the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday.
The Caribbean country is experiencing deteriorating conditions, with gangs controlling 85% of the capital and sexual violence against children increasing by 1,000% last year, according to the United Nations.
TPS is granted to nationals of designated countries facing unsafe conditions, such as armed conflict or environmental disasters.
Trump has moved to overhaul parts of the US immigration system since returning to office and promised “mass deportations” and arrests.
Haitians have had TPS since 2010, and it will terminate on August 3, 2025.
This means they will lose their work licenses and might face deportation.
The Trump administration declared on February 1 that the status would cease for Venezuelans living in the United States; however, the National TPS Alliance is currently challenging this decision in court.
“For decades the TPS system has been exploited and abused,” the Department for Homeland Security said in a statement on Thursday.
The system now allows Haitians who entered the US illegally to qualify for legal protected status.
However, the announcement has been met with criticism. Last year, over 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in Haiti, and families are struggling to survive in makeshift shelters while facing mounting health and protection risks.
Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley called the decision “shameful” amid the “unspeakable violence.”
During his presidential campaign, Trump falsely claimed that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating domestic pets in a tiny Ohio city.
City officials told BBC Verify that there were “no credible reports” that this occurred.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, labeled the accusation a “conspiracy theory… based on an element of racism”.
