First group of deportees arrives in troubled Haiti after US ends TPS program

The U.S. government deported over 160 individuals to Haiti for the first time since the Trump administration decided to end Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitians, according to a report by AP on August 19, 2026. The group arrived in Cap-Haitien, a northern Haitian city, due to the perceived danger at Port-au-Prince's main international airport, which is deemed unsafe due to ongoing gang violence.

The aircraft landed despite the U.S. government's ban on commercial flights to Haiti's capital until early September. Deportees, dressed in white and often hiding their faces, remained largely silent, fearing possible retaliation from the gangs that control roughly 70% of Port-au-Prince and broader areas. Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, the director general of Haiti’s National Office of Migration, clarified that the Haitian state did not request their return.

Instead, the office's role is to facilitate their return as part of a "forced return" process, emphasizing their commitment to supporting these deportees in their resettlement. Delva noted that some deportees were not originally from Haiti but had Haitian ancestry, while others planned to head to Haiti's southern region—a dangerous route due to gang control over primary routes and a history of random attacks on vehicles. Others opted for the western region of the country.