Trump Administration Continues Its Hardline Immigration Policy, Terminates TPS for Hundreds of Thousands of Haitians

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, effective February 3, 2026, impacting an estimated 353,000 Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States. The decision, signed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement agenda, which has prioritized revoking humanitarian protections amid concerns over national security and public safety.

TPS, a program established by Congress in 1990, allows nationals of designated countries facing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions to remain in the U.S. temporarily, shielded from deportation and eligible for work authorization. Haiti’s designation originated after a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010, that killed over 200,000 people and displaced 1.5 million. Subsequent extensions were granted due to ongoing political instability, gang violence, and natural disasters, including the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that month.

In a Federal Register notice published November 27, 2025, DHS stated that Secretary Noem, after consulting interagency partners including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the State Department, determined Haiti “no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS.” The notice acknowledged “certain conditions in Haiti remain concerning,” such as widespread gang violence, mass displacement affecting over 1.4 million people, and spillover effects threatening regional stability in the Caribbean.

However, it concluded that “permitting Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the U.S. national interest,” citing risks including immigration fraud and inadequate vetting capabilities.

The termination affects approximately 353,000 TPS beneficiaries, a figure based on DHS estimates from July 2024, when eligibility had expanded under the Biden administration to include those arriving after August 2021 amid escalating crises.

USCIS has automatically extended work authorization documents (EADs) for these individuals through February 3, 2026, to allow time for orderly departure or pursuit of alternative legal status, such as asylum or adjustment of status.

This marks the second attempt by the Trump administration to end Haiti’s TPS designation. In February 2025, Noem partially vacated a Biden-era 18-month extension, shortening it to expire on September 2, 2025. That move was blocked by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in the Eastern District of New York on July 15, 2025, in the case Haitian Evangelical Clergy Ass’n v. Trump (No. 25-cv-1464), who ruled that DHS lacked authority to accelerate the end date beyond the congressionally mandated review process. The court’s order set the minimum termination date as February 3, 2026—the end of the prior extension—allowing the current notice to proceed without violating judicial constraints.

The announcement comes amid Trump’s hardline immigration push, including mass deportation operations and the revocation of TPS for other countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, Syria, Nepal, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Burma, Somalia, and Myanmar—potentially affecting millions.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly targeted Haitian migrants, claiming they were consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio, a narrative amplified by allies like Vice President JD Vance.

The administration has linked the policy to recent attacks, including a high-profile ambush in Washington, D.C., involving an Afghan migrant, as justification for heightened scrutiny of humanitarian programs.

DHS outlined options for affected individuals, including voluntary departure via the CBP One mobile app, which offers a complimentary one-way flight to Haiti, a $1,000 cash stipend, and no penalties for future visa applications, all a part of a self-deportation initiative launched in May 2025.

Those without other legal bases must prepare to leave, or risk deportation proceedings and a lifetime reentry ban.

Legal challenges are expected, potentially delaying implementation as in prior cases. The White House framed the termination as restoring “integrity to the TPS system,” which it claims has been “exploited and abused” for decades, acting as a magnet for illegal immigration. President Trump reiterated on Truth Social: “Haiti no longer meets requirements for TPS. Haitians have to leave. America First.”

Ukraine Agrees to US-Backed Peace Deal to End Russia War, US Official Says

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Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal that would see an end to the war with Russia, a U.S. official told Fox News.

Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.

Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, had told Fox News that Driscoll and his team met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the framework for a Ukraine peace deal.

“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress,” said Tolbert.

A U.S. official told Fox News that the Ukrainian delegation was also in Abu Dhabi and was in contact with Driscoll and his team.

The diplomatic flurry over the weekend followed the leak of the 28-point peace plan to Axios, which many European leaders and U.S. lawmakers viewed as largely favorable to Russia. (Read more from “Ukraine Agrees to US-Backed Peace Deal to End Russia War, US Official Says” HERE)

Former Zelensky Spox: Ukraine Must Sign Peace Deal To Avoid Even Greater Losses

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Things are very bad in Ukraine right now. The former spokeswoman for Ukraine’s clearly overmatched comedian leader says things could get a lot worse if Ukraine’s government walks away from peace this time.

“Every subsequent deal for Ukraine will only be worse — because we are losing. We are losing people, territory, and the economy,” Iuliia Mendel, press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from 2019 to 2021, wrote in an X post this weekend as negotiators went back and forth in marathon peace talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday told multiple news outlets that he was pleased with the “tremendous amount of progress” toward finalizing a U.S.-brokered peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but more needed to be done to get there.

As the Trump-hating BBC reported, Ukraine and its friends in Europe weren’t happy with previously leaked proposals, “seen as favouring Russia and welcomed by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin as ‘the basis’ for settlement.” Zelensky earlier said his bomb-battered country and his fellow citizens “might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner” — President Donald Trump.

The Washington Post reported the leaked draft would force Ukraine to reduce its army and turn over land that Russia has not taken. That proposal also would prohibit NATO troops. U.S. officials said the draft has been updated, with Zelensky sounding more confident that “President Trump’s team is hearing us.” (Read more from “Former Zelensky Spox: Ukraine Must Sign Peace Deal To Avoid Even Greater Losses” HERE)

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Kremlin Sinks Trump’s Hope of Peace Deal by Thanksgiving

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Russia has sunk Donald Trump’s hope that a peace deal in Ukraine can be achieved by Thanksgiving after the Kremlin said Europe’s counterproposal was not constructive and did not work for Moscow.

In a sign that both sides remain far apart, the Kremlin said that Europe’s demands for Ukraine would not be accepted by Vladimir Putin but said that an earlier proposal by the US seemed “quite acceptable to us”.

Trump claimed on Monday that progress was being made in peace talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials. Washington and Kyiv said in a joint statement that they were working to narrow the gaps in the 28-point peace plan revealed by the US last week.

The US president had given Ukraine until Thanksgiving, this Thursday, to agree to the plan – but US officials later indicated the deadline could change.

Some EU leaders met to discuss Ukraine on the sidelines of an EU-African Union summit in Luanda on Monday, with others dialling in via video conference. (Read more from “Kremlin Sinks Trump’s Hope of Peace Deal by Thanksgiving” HERE)

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Abducted Catholic Schoolchildren In Nigeria Escape Captivity

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Fifty schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Nigeria escaped captivity and returned to their families, school authorities announced Sunday.

The students, aged 10 to 18, fled individually between Friday and Saturday after gunmen seized 303 people from St. Mary’s School in Niger state’s remote Papiri community, according to The Associated Press. A total of 253 students and 12 teachers remain in captivity, according to Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the school’s proprietor.

“We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Yohanna said in a statement.

Authorities have not disclosed where the captives are being held or how the 50 children managed to escape. No group has claimed responsibility for the Friday attack.

Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the remaining hostages during a mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. (Read more from “Abducted Catholic Schoolchildren In Nigeria Escape Captivity” HERE)

US Peace Plan Asks Almost Nothing of Russia, Leaving Some American Officials Questioning Why Kyiv Would Accept It

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The US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine contains almost no concessions from Russia aside from it abandoning its vow to take over the entire country — and American officials say they can’t see why Kyiv would accept the proposal.

The plan, devised by President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, after consultations with both Ukrainian and Russian officials, would see Kyiv surrendering the entirety of its Donbas region.

The handed-over area would include territory that the Kremlin hasn’t even been able to secure for more than a decade, since it made a separate land grab for it in 2014.

The proposed pact also calls for Ukraine to pledge to never join NATO, shrink its armed forces from its current estimated 900,000 to 600,000 personnel — and grant amnesty for all parties involved in wartime actions, eliminating any future legal claims over Russian war crimes.

Some US officials and experts characterized the plan as a no-win for Kyiv. (Read more from “US Peace Plan Asks Almost Nothing of Russia, Leaving Some American Officials Questioning Why Kyiv Would Accept It” HERE)

Several NATO Nations Scramble Jets as Russian Airstrike Kills At Least 20 Including Children

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The air forces of several NATO states were scrambled overnight to protect the airspace of the alliance along its eastern border as Russia launched one of its deadliest air strikes against Ukraine’s western regions of the war so far.

Polish, Romanian, German, Spanish, Norwegian, and Dutch fighter jets were scrambled in two deployments in airspace bordering Ukraine over Poland and Romania and the Russian armed forces hammered western Ukraine. According to Kyiv, Russia launched 476 drones, 47 cruise missiles and one ballistic missiles in strikes across the country, but particularly on Western cities Ternopil and Lviv.

At least 20 people have been found dead in Ternopil, which is approximately 225 miles west of Ukrainian capital Kyiv and 110 miles short of the Polish border. Of the killed, at least two are children, and a further 66 were wounded including 16 children in the strikes which badly damaged two apartment blocks.

Ukraine said it scrambled its own Western-built jet fighters including U.S.-made F-16s and French Mirage-2000 jets to shoot down Russian missiles. In all, Kyiv said 41 cruise missiles were shot down, 10 of them by Western-supplied Ukraine Air Force jets.

The BBC notes the unusually large and deadly Russian air raid came one day after Ukraine said it had used U.S.-made ATACMS missiles against targets inside Russia, the first time this has happened under the Trump Presidency. (Read more from “Several NATO Nations Scramble Jets as Russian Airstrike Kills At Least 20 Including Children” HERE)

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China Arrests 18 Church Leaders in Crackdown on Religious Freedom

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Chinese officials on Tuesday arrested 18 leaders of the underground Zion Church. Almost 30 pastors and staffers have been detained, without formal arrest, since the middle of October.

Zion Church is an underground or “house church,” meaning it has not been authorized and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government is using a technique called “Sinicization” to take control of organized religion and make it subordinate to Communist Party doctrine. “Sinicized” churches, mosques, and temples are forced to teach Communist dogma in addition to their religious beliefs.

Millions of Chinese Christians have bravely chosen to defy the system by worshiping at “house churches,” so-called because they typically hold services in the homes of their congregants. The Zion Church was founded in 2007 by Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who converted to Christianity after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

Jin’s church grew rapidly during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic by offering services online — and even by defying dictator Xi Jinping’s harsh lockdown policies to hold services in person. Zion Church is now one of the largest remaining underground churches.

Xi’s regime launched its biggest crackdown on house churches in years this October, detaining dozens of pastors and staff members, including Pastor Jin. Five of the detainees were released in October and four more were released on bail in early November, according to Jin’s daughter Grace. (Read more from “China Arrests 18 Church Leaders in Crackdown on Religious Freedom” HERE)

New Zealand bans puberty blockers for transgender minors

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New Zealand health officials announced Wednesday that new prescriptions for puberty blockers will no longer be issued to children identifying as transgender.

Doctors will stop prescribing the gender-affirming medication — gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues — to minors starting Dec. 19, after the health ministry cited a lack of “high-quality evidence that demonstrates the benefits or risks,” Health Minister Simeon Brown said.

Existing patients can still access the medication for gender dysphoria or other conditions, such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, and prostate cancer.

Officials said 113 people were using puberty blockers in 2023 — down from 140 in 2021.

Hormone blockers can pause puberty and are occasionally used to treat children with gender dysphoria.

Critics slammed the decision, warning the ban will severely impact transgender and gender-diverse youth, arguing medical decisions should be left to the individuals doctor. (Read more from “New Zealand bans puberty blockers for transgender minors” HERE)

Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Get F-35 Jets Under Arrangement Similar to Israel

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By CNA. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Nov 18) that the United States would sell advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, signalling that Riyadh would receive the same top-tier defence equipment long reserved for Israel.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top-of-the-line F-35s,” Trump told reporters at the White House, calling Saudi Arabia and Israel “great allies”.

The comments came as Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks aimed at deepening defence cooperation and expanding a growing US–Saudi security partnership.

Trump said Washington and Riyadh had reached a “defence agreement”, though he offered no details. Saudi Arabia is seeking stronger security guarantees from the US amid heightened regional tensions and has been pushing for access to advanced military hardware.

The crown prince, making his first White House visit in more than seven years, said security cooperation was a core priority of the trip. He also announced that Saudi Arabia would increase its planned investments in the United States to nearly US$1 trillion, up from a US$600 billion pledge made during Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May. (Read more from “Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Get F-35 Jets Under Arrangement Similar to Israel” HERE)

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Israel’s ICC appeal is not about Karim Khan, but Trump – analysis

By The Jerusalem Post. Israel’s appeal to the International Criminal Court’s highest chamber to cancel the arrest warrants outstanding against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on the basis of disqualifying ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has much more to do with US President Donald Trump than with Khan.

If the only questions were: “Can Israel get Khan disqualified, and can this lead to the arrest warrants being tossed?” the answer would surely be that the arrest warrants won’t be nixed, even if Khan is.

But there are broader issues at stake here, and, though unlikely, the ICC could choose to use disqualifying Khan as a way out from its nearly year-long conflict with the Trump administration.

Since Trump returned to power in January and gave the ICC a brief ultimatum to withdraw the arrest warrants against Israel, the US government has escalated sanctions against ICC officials, one move after another.

Cumulatively, the ICC has lost employees, funding, and general flexibility in operations due to its stance on maintaining the arrest warrants. (Read more from “Israel’s ICC appeal is not about Karim Khan, but Trump – analysis” HERE)

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