The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that it would revoke the temporary protected status of 352,959 Haitian nationals who entered the United States under the asylum program.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem added in her notice that any Haitian national who stays past the Feb. 3, 2026, deadline will be subject to deportation.
“Based on the Department’s review, the Secretary has determined that while the current situation in Haiti is concerning, the United States must prioritize its national interests and permitting Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the U.S. national interest,” the DHS said.
Noem’s cancellation of the asylum status for Haitian nationals comes after President Donald Trump’s move to do so in August was halted by courts.
Former President Joe Biden vastly expanded the asylum program, which was first created by Congress in 1990 to offer victims of armed conflict, political unrest, or environmental hazards asylum, offering protection to hundreds of thousands of applicants from Afghanistan, Haiti, Ukraine, and Venezuela, among other countries.
Some of those who benefited from asylum status entered the U.S. illegally, mainly through the southern border, while others arrived legally on temporary visas or programs.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDS TPS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM BURMA
The recent crackdown on the TPS status of Haitian nationals ties into a broader push to reform the immigration programs offered by the U.S.
On Monday, Trump announced the cancellation of the asylum program for Burmese nationals, providing roughly 4,000 TPS holders a strict Jan. 26 deadline. Following the exposure of widespread medicare fraud from Somali nationals in Minnesota on Thursday, Trump revoked the TPS provided to them.
