Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem today announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. The TPS designation for Haiti will expire on August 3, 2025, and its termination will take effect on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, DHS announced in a statement Friday, June 27, 2025
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem today announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. The TPS designation for Haiti will expire on August 3, 2025, and its termination will take effect on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, DHS announced in a statement Friday, June 27, 2025.
"This decision restores the integrity of our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protected Status remains truly temporary," said a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"The environmental situation in Haiti has improved sufficiently that it is now safe for Haitian citizens to return home. We encourage these individuals to use the resources made available by the Department to arrange their return to Haiti, including through the CBP Home app. Haitian nationals may also apply for legal status through other immigration programs, if eligible," said Ms. Noem.
After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Noem concluded that conditions in Haiti no longer meet the statutory criteria for continued TPS. Her decision was based on an assessment conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and in consultation with the Department of State. She determined that, overall, conditions in the country have improved to the point where Haitians can safely return. She further determined that allowing Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest, according to the statement.
Returning Haitians are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app to report their departure from the U.S., the statement announcing the decision stated.
Trump Administration's Doublespeak
This week, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed U.S. frustration with the OAS. He cited, among other things, the Haitian crisis. “The current crisis in Haiti is equally discouraging. Armed gangs control the streets and ports of the capital, and law and order has virtually collapsed. As Haiti descends into chaos, the ongoing humanitarian, security, and governmental crisis is having repercussions throughout the region. And again, what has this organization done? Currently, a minimum level of security is being provided by a multilateral force led by Kenya and endorsed by the UN,” he said.
“The United States has committed nearly $1 billion to support this force,” he continued, highlighting the Trump administration’s dissatisfaction with the OAS. “Once again, if the OAS is unwilling or unable to play a constructive role in Haiti, then we must seriously question why the OAS exists,” Mr. Landau said. On May 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when designating Viv Ansanm and Grand Grif as international terrorist organizations, had pointed to the violence in Haiti. "I am announcing today that the Department of State has designated Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as Specially Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Global Terrorists. The era of impunity for those who support violence in Haiti is over. Haitian gangs, including the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif coalition, are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti. They pose a direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region. These gangs have killed and continue to attack the Haitian people..." Rubio stated.
It is difficult to understand how DHS, in consultation with the State Department, reached such a conclusion. Currently, the same State Department is formally advising Americans against traveling to Haiti due to the risk of kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and inadequate health services, following an update this week of the travel advisory for Haiti to Level 4, the highest for high-risk countries.
This week, the report of the UN Panel of Experts was released. It describes the extent of the violence in Haiti. "The Panel of Experts, established by Security Council Resolution 2653 (2022), indicated in a report to the Council that in 2024, some 7,342 people were murdered (6,281 men, 117 boys, 884 women, and 60 girls). More than 3,660 of these assassinations took place between July and December 2024. In addition, some 2,017 Haitians were kidnapped (1,249
