The U.S. government will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 500,000 Haitians on August 3, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday. The decision comes despite escalating violence and humanitarian crises in Haiti, where gangs control 85% of the capital, and sexual violence against children increased 1,000% last year, according to the United Nations.
TPS, a program granting legal status to nationals from countries facing extreme hardship, has protected Haitians since 2010. With its termination, they will lose work permits and face potential deportation.
The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, including a recent attempt to revoke TPS for Venezuelans—a decision currently being challenged in court. DHS defended the policy shift, arguing TPS has been “exploited and abused” and allowed some to gain legal status despite illegal entry.
However, the announcement has drawn strong criticism. Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley condemned it as “shameful,” emphasizing that Haitians who have lived in the U.S. for 15 years are now at risk of deportation “for no reason other than being Haitian.”
Haiti’s worsening conditions have intensified opposition, with over 5,600 people killed in gang violence last year and families struggling in makeshift shelters. Critics argue the U.S. is turning its back on a vulnerable population amid an unprecedented crisis.
Trump’s past rhetoric on Haitian immigrants has also sparked controversy. During his campaign, he falsely claimed illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating domestic pets in an Ohio town—an assertion local officials dismissed as baseless. The National Security Council labeled it a “racist conspiracy theory.”
