U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported more than 160 Haitian nationals on an Aug. 21 charter flight that landed in Cap-Haïtien. This marks the first major removal operation to Haiti since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
The flight's destination was Cap-Haïtien, in northern Haiti, because ongoing gang violence has rendered the capital's airport, Toussaint Louverture International Airport, too dangerous for U.S. commercial flights. The violence in the capital has made regular commercial air travel to Port-au-Prince unfeasible for such operations.
The termination of TPS for Haitians, first granted in 2010 following a devastating earthquake, has raised concerns about the potential return of individuals to a country facing significant political instability and humanitarian challenges.