The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly preparing to increase operations targeting Haitian migrants following a Supreme Court ruling that permitted the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for individuals from Haiti. While DHS has not commented on specific ongoing operations, a statement to CBS News suggested a change in approach.
"What we would say now is it’s closing time which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here… The good news is it's not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home," a DHS spokesperson indicated, signaling a potential shift in policy regarding Haitian nationals in the United States.
The Supreme Court's decision allows the federal government to end TPS for Haitians, a program that has, since 1990, enabled migrants from designated countries facing severe conditions—such as armed conflict, natural disasters, epidemics, or other extraordinary circumstances—to live and work legally in the U.S.
During the Trump administration, efforts were made to curtail TPS. In its second term, DHS moved to terminate TPS designations for several countries, including Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Yemen. In those instances, the department, then led by Secretary Kristi Noem, argued that TPS was intended to be temporary and that living conditions in the affected countries had improved. Extensions to TPS for those countries, the department stated, would be contrary to the national interest.