First deportees arrive in Haiti after U.S. ends TPS protection

On Thursday, the United States deported over 160 individuals to Haiti for the first time since the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for around 350,000 Haitians. The aircraft touched down in Cap-Haitien, a city in northern Haiti, due to concerns regarding the safety of the main international airport in Port-au-Prince, which is besieged by gang violence. Authorities have banned commercial flights to the capital of Haiti until early September.

The deportees were dressed uniformly in white, many of them wearing face coverings for safety reasons as journalists captured their arrival. Very few of them were willing to speak, fearing potential repercussions from the powerful gangs that control approximately 70% of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The deportees consisted of individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Haitians who had served prison terms, according to Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, the director general of Haiti's National Office of Migration.

Delva clarified that the Haitian state did not request their return; instead, it was the U.S. government's initiative. He stated that the mission was to welcome these migrants returning to their homeland. Several deportees planned to travel to Haiti's southern region, a perilous journey given the control gangs hold over the primary routes and their propensity to randomly open fire on vehicles passing through. Others were headed to Haiti's western region, according to Delva.

Haitian immigration officials provided the deportees with a maximum of $65 and food and drink. Those unable to reach their homes immediately would be accommodated in secure spaces, and the process would continue until all migrants returned to their respective homes. The exact number of TPS holders among the 161 deportees was not disclosed.

In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to end the TPS program, affecting roughly 1 million individuals from over a dozen countries. Despite the court's decision, work permits for Haitians were not extended by the federal government by late July, leading to the lifting of an order that had previously blocked deportations of Haitians with Temporary Protected Status in early August.

Concerns have been raised about the readiness of Haiti to accommodate such a large number of deportees. Approximately 3,100 people were reported killed from January to June, and another 1,189 were injured due to gang violence, according to U.N. statistics. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where over half of the population requires humanitarian assistance due to rising gang violence, deepening poverty, and hunger.