U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to intensify efforts to arrest and deport Haitian migrants. This action follows the impending expiration of their legal status, affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals. Two agency sources and federal documents obtained by CBS News reveal these plans.
Operations are set to target states like Ohio, specifically in cities such as Springfield. President Trump and certain politicians have focused on these communities. Migrants arrested will face swift deportation flights to Haiti, a country currently grappling with significant crises.
The push comes as over 300,000 Haitians brace for the end of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The U.S. Supreme Court recently supported the Trump administration’s bid to terminate TPS for Haitians and Syrians. The binding mandate of this ruling will reach lower courts soon.
When TPS concludes, affected immigrants risk losing their work permits and could be subject to deportation by ICE. Those without removal orders typically have a right to challenge this in immigration court.
Plans suggest that the operations might commence shortly, but specific details remain unclear. ICE sources shared these internal plans under anonymity due to the sensitivity and fluid nature of the situation.
Deportations to Haiti could create political and humanitarian challenges. Haiti, plagued by gang control and instability, is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. deportations have primarily focused on Cap-Haïtien due to the volatile conditions in Port-au-Prince. The State Department strongly advises against travel to Haiti, citing ongoing violence.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), overseeing ICE, refrained from commenting on ongoing operations. DHS criticized TPS as a ‘defacto amnesty program’ and suggested affected individuals consider self-deportation. “It’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” stated DHS.
Congress created TPS in 1990 to allow immigrants from countries experiencing crises to receive temporary work permits and deportation relief. The Trump administration has attempted to terminate most TPS programs, including those for Haiti, arguing they encourage illegal immigration and have been too prolonged.
Haitians currently in the TPS have often arrived under the Biden administration. Many entered the U.S. legally until recent terminations by Trump’s policies. A 2022 decision by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes found racial undertones in the attempts to end Haiti’s TPS. Her ruling referenced derogatory remarks from Trump and DHS officials.
Despite a reduction in immigration roundups after the accidental deaths of two U.S. citizens, current ICE operations have increased due to pressures to meet daily arrest targets. Last month marked a record high in ICE detentions under the second Trump administration. Recent operations resulted in the deaths of Mexican and Colombian immigrants during stops in Texas and Maine.