Federal judge ends deportation protections for Haitian immigrants

Aug. 5 (UPI) — A federal judge on Wednesday said the Trump administration can move forward with efforts to remove hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have been living and working legally in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in February had blocked the federal government from ending the Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, some 350,000 people who fled their country due to violence, political unrest and natural disasters.

But the Supreme Court in June ruled the law restricts courts from reviewing decisions by the Department of Homeland Security to end TPS protections.

Reyes on Wednesday said her February order was “no longer in effect,” CNN reported.

“As a result of today’s order implementing the Supreme Court’s decision, Haitian TPS holders — all of them non-criminals — can no longer legally work, and many are subject to removal to Haiti, which continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world,” attorney Geoff Pipoly, who represented Haitian TPS holders in their challenge, told CNN.

As of Wednesday, the State Department continued to advise against travel to Haiti “due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited healthcare.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this week said his department is “going after them right now.”

“These individuals can either self-deport or we’ll arrest you and send you back,” he told NewsNation. “It’s that simple.”

More than 1.3 million people from 17 countries were living legally in the United States through the TPS program as of 2025.

Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, DHS has revoked the protections from at least seven of those countries.