Supreme Court ended TPS for 350,000 Haitians in June
A U.S. government deportation flight carrying 161 passengers departed Alexandria, La., on Thursday and landed at Cap Haïtien Airport in Haiti, ABC News reported. According to UPI, the flight was the first such removal since the administration ended temporary protected status for Haitians. The Hill reported that some of those aboard were former TPS holders. All passengers were released upon arrival, according to Cuban officials cited by UPI.
The administration had previously deported Haitians before the policy change, the UPI report said, but Thursday’s flight was the first removal since TPS protections ended.
The U.S. Supreme Court ended TPS protection for more than 350,000 Haitians in June. The ruling also led to the termination of similar protections for immigrants from Ethiopia, Somalia, Syria, Myanmar and other countries, UPI reported.
The State Department classifies Haiti as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” destination for U.S. citizens, citing crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest and limited health care. “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason,” the State Department advisory states.
Haiti has been operating under a national state of emergency since 2024, UPI reported.
In Ohio, hundreds of Haitian immigrants were summoned by the Department of Homeland Security for in-person check-ins, and some were fitted with ankle monitors, according to ABC News.
Separately on Thursday, the first U.S. third-country deportation flight landed in Liberia, according to UPI.