The 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.
This comes despite deteriorating conditions in the Caribbean country, with gangs controlling about 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.
US President Donald Trump has moved to overhaul parts of the US immigration system since returning to office and promised “mass deportations” and arrests.
TPS has been held by Haitians since 2010 and will be ending on 3 August 2025.
This means they will lose their work permits and could be eligible for deportation.
On 1 February, the Trump administration announced the status would also end for Venezuelans living in the US, but this is currently facing a legal challenge from the National TPS Alliance.
“For decades the TPS system has been exploited and abused,” the Department for Homeland Security said in a statement on Thursday.
The system has allowed Haitians who “entered the US illegally, to qualify for legally protected status,” it added.
More than 5,600 people in Haiti were killed in gang violence last year and the UN has said families are “struggling to survive in makeshift shelters while facing mounting health and protection risks”.
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