Trump Admin Terminates TPS for 500,000 Haitians, Orders Exit by September 2025
DHS Secretary Noem Ends Protections, Citing Improved Conditions in Haiti
The Trump administration has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 500,000 Haitian migrants in the U.S., effective September 2, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), led by Secretary Kristi Noem, revealed the decision on June 27, 2025, escalating its push to curtail legal immigration protections.
Noem, who previously shortened Haiti’s TPS duration earlier this year, justified the full termination by claiming Haiti’s conditions have stabilized. “The environmental situation in Haiti has improved sufficiently for citizens to return safely,” a DHS spokesperson stated, though specific changes were not detailed. The move reverses a Biden-era policy that had extended TPS for 521,000 Haitians, allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S.
The decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, which has targeted both legal and undocumented migrants in his first four months of 2025. Noem has also moved to end TPS for 350,000 Venezuelans, alongside smaller groups from Afghanistan and Cameroon. On May 19, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the administration could proceed with the Venezuelan TPS termination, paving the way for Haiti’s and others to follow.
TPS, established by Congress in 1990, offers temporary relief to migrants from countries facing natural disasters, conflicts, or extraordinary crises. Haiti’s designation has been justified by ongoing turmoil: the country has not held elections since 2016, and Port-au-Prince is largely controlled by armed gangs. In 2024, gang violence displaced over one million people, with thousands killed, according to United Nations reports. A UN-backed security mission has struggled to restore order, and the Trump administration has paused some pledged funding for this effort.
Advocates fiercely oppose the termination. “Haiti is a warzone, with gangs dominating the capital and no functioning government,” said a South Florida advocate at a June 27 press conference. “Sending 500,000 people back is unconscionable.” Democratic lawmakers have called the decision reckless, pointing to Haiti’s lack of elections and rampant violence.
Legal challenges are mounting. Immigration groups plan to sue, arguing the termination violates TPS regulations. A related lawsuit against Noem is ongoing, though the Supreme Court’s May 2025 ruling allows TPS terminations to proceed during litigation. Separately, on May 30, the Court permitted the revocation of parole status for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, further tightening immigration options.
The TPS program for Haiti has grown significantly: from 57,000 eligible Haitians in 2011 to 155,000 in 2021, and nearly 500,000 by 2024. Current TPS holders retain work authorization until September 2, 2025. The termination is part of Trump’s broader rollback of humanitarian programs, following his first-term attempts to dismantle TPS, which were blocked by courts.
This story originally appeared on Reuters.