More than 160 people were deported from the United States to Haiti on Thursday, marking the first such mass return since the Trump administration successfully concluded a legal battle to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians. The flight arrived in the northern city of Cap-Haitien rather than the capital, Port-au-Prince, because the main international airport there remains closed to U.S. commercial flights through early September due to persistent gang violence.
Upon arrival, the deportees were seen wearing white clothing, with many covering their faces to protect their identities from potential threats. Journalists observed that nearly all individuals declined to speak, a caution driven by the reality that gangs currently control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and vast areas beyond the capital.
Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, director general of Haiti's National Office of Migration, confirmed that the group included both former TPS holders and individuals who had served prison sentences in the United States.
Delva stated that the Haitian government did not request these returns, noting, "It is not the Haitian state that asks for them to be sent back. Our mission is to welcome migrants of forced return. We welcome them with the aim of accompanying them to their home."
The logistical and safety challenges for the returnees are severe. Delva explained that some deportees are not native to Haiti, despite being of Haitian descent, and many face dangerous journeys to their final destinations. Gangs frequently control the primary transit routes and are known to randomly open fire on vehicles.
One deportee, according to Delva, was born in the Dominican Republic and has no personal knowledge of Haiti; the government is now working to locate potential relatives in either Haiti or the Dominican Republic, where his parents reside.
To assist the arrivals, immigration officials provided a maximum of $65 per person along with food and water. Delva added that those unable to reach their homes immediately would be hosted in secure spaces until they could be safely transitioned.
The legal path to these deportations was finalized in late June when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the TPS program to end, a decision affecting roughly 1 million people from over a dozen countries. While cases continued in lower courts, the government ceased extending work permits for Haitians by late July.
On August 5, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., lifted an order that had previously blocked the deportations of Haitians on TPS, a move that served as a formality following the Supreme Court's ruling.
Human Rights First's ICE Flight Monitor indicates that the U.S. had conducted approximately one deportation flight to Haiti since December 2023, with recent flights originating in Alexandria, Louisiana, and stopping in Miami before reaching Cap-Haitien.
Activists have expressed deep concern, warning that Haiti lacks the resources to support those being returned to a country where more than half of the 12 million residents require humanitarian assistance. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people, and U.N. statistics report that more than 3,100 people were killed and 1,189 injured between January and June of this year.
Haiti's Group Supporting Refugees and Returnees has formally decried the deportations, stating that the country is not prepared to receive such a volume of migrants.
The group noted that more than 140,000 Haitians have already been deported from neighboring countries, including the Dominican Republic, during the first half of the year, and that no government measures are currently in place to adequately assist the new arrivals.
One deportee, Jean Diane Louis, spoke briefly with The Associated Press upon his arrival in Cap-Haitien. Louis, who said he left Haiti at age 5, explained that his family resides in New York City. He claimed he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, stating, "Then ICE came and took me without questioning me. They just sent me here."
The impact of these policies is also being felt within the United States. In Springfield, Ohio, a city of approximately 60,000 people, immigration authorities have maintained a heavy presence. Marjory Wentworth, a spokesperson for Springfield G92, confirmed that local pastor Gilbert Joubert Adrien is currently being held by immigration authorities.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has publicly criticized the federal deportation plan, calling it a "mistake" that could harm the state's economy and endanger the deportees. DeWine noted that many Haitians in Springfield have filled essential jobs and opened businesses, adding, "Haiti is hell today.
So you'd be sending people back to hell. Very few of these Haitians will voluntarily go back to Haiti. If they have to leave, they'll go someplace else. They want to work. They want to support their family." Viles Dorsainvil, who operates a support center for Haitians in Springfield, expressed his fears in late July, stating, "We've been praying for the best, but now we are facing the worst. It will be a nightmare for us."
