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.”
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