Donald Trump plans to remove temporary immigration protections from thousands of Haitians. Trump’s plan became clear on Wednesday when the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency (USCIS) released a notice to announce that Haitian immigrants will lose Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, on Feb. 3. About 352,959 Haitians will lose protections as a result of this decision, Al Jazeera reported.
Why is Donald Trump taking away immigration protection from Haitians?
As the latest controversial move from the Trump administration became official on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security explained the decision to remove protections from Haitians. The department stated that violent gang activity is causing national security issues to the US. At the same time, the department gave a contradicting statement, saying Haiti is now safe enough for the protected immigrants to return.
“Ending Temporary Protected Status for Haiti reflects a necessary and strategic vote of confidence in the new chapter Haiti is turning,” the department stated, per Al Jazeera. “The United States cannot call for bold change on the ground while signaling doubt from afar.”
What is Temporary Protected Status?
TPS is given to immigrants who are already living in the U.S., but they cannot return to their native country due to unsafe conditions. The program allows immigrants to work and study legally in the U.S. Citizens from about 17 countries were granted TPS earlier in the year. Some of the immigrants protected with TPS are from countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
Haitians have been protected with TPS since 2010 when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed their country. More than 1.3 million Haitians were displaced due to the devastating earthquake, Al Jazeera reported. In recent years, many Haitians also fled their country due to dire economic conditions and political disruption.
While Trump continues to strip protection from Haitians, human rights advocates are still fighting for justice.
“Revoking Haitians’ legal immigration status that has kept them safe with their families in the US is cruel and dangerous,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement, per Al Jazeera. “Haitian immigrants have contributed immensely to our communities, neighborhoods and local economies, and without them, New York and this nation would not be the same.”