ICE plans to target Haitians as Temporary Protected Status is set to end, sources say

ICE Prepares Arrest Operations for Haitian Nationals as Temporary Protected Status Ends

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has developed plans to increase arrests and deportations of Haitian nationals whose Temporary Protected Status is scheduled to terminate, according to two agency sources who requested anonymity and federal documents reviewed by CBS News. The preparations include operations in Ohio, including areas with large Haitian populations such as Springfield, and arrangements for deportation flights to Haiti. The internal documents indicate that enforcement actions could begin as early as this week, though the overall scale remains unspecified.

More than 300,000 Haitian nationals are set to lose deportation protections and work authorization under the TPS program. The Supreme Court last month issued a 6-3 decision upholding the termination of TPS designations for Haiti and Syria. The ruling held that federal law generally bars judicial review of TPS termination decisions under the statute’s judicial-review bar. The Court’s mandate is scheduled to take effect on Monday.

Individuals whose TPS expires lose legal work authorization and become subject to removal proceedings unless they hold another form of immigration status. Those without final removal orders are generally entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge prior to deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, stated that it does not comment on ongoing or future operations. In a written statement, the department described TPS as having functioned as a de facto amnesty program and advised individuals losing status to consider voluntary departure. The statement noted that eligible individuals could receive a $2,600 payment and a flight home.

TPS was established by Congress in 1990 to provide temporary work permits and deportation relief to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. The Trump administration has moved to end multiple TPS designations, arguing that the programs have been extended beyond their intended temporary duration and create incentives for unlawful entry. Terminations or proposed terminations have affected nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and other countries.

Haiti’s TPS designation originated after the 2010 earthquake. The majority of current participants entered the United States during the prior administration, either through the southern border or through parole programs that have since been terminated. The Trump administration initiated termination of the Haiti TPS designation last year; that action was delayed by litigation until the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

U.S. deportation flights to Haiti have historically been limited to Cap-Haïtien in the north because of security conditions in Port-au-Prince. The State Department maintains a Level 4 travel advisory for Haiti, citing widespread violence. Significant portions of the country remain under the control of criminal gangs. The Department of Homeland Security statement emphasized that individuals facing loss of TPS should arrange their own departure rather than wait for enforcement.

ICE scaled back certain large-scale operations earlier this year following two incidents in which U.S. citizens were killed during enforcement activity in the Minneapolis area. Operations have increased in recent months in response to agency targets of 2,000 daily arrests. Last month, the number of individuals booked into ICE custody reached a monthly high for the current administration. During recent enforcement actions, two foreign nationals from Mexico and Colombia died during traffic stops in Texas and Maine.

The internal planning documents obtained by CBS News were described by the sources as preliminary and subject to change. No public schedule for specific operations has been released. Haitian nationals whose TPS ends will be processed according to standard removal procedures, which include the opportunity for judicial review in cases without prior orders of removal.

Administration officials have stated that enforcement priorities focus on individuals who no longer have lawful status following the expiration of temporary protections. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision clarified that courts lack authority to review the underlying TPS termination determinations in most circumstances.