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Haiti TPS revocation raises questions as State Department warns Americans not to travel there
DHS revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, but the State Department maintains a Level 4 travel advisory warning of life-threatening risks in Haiti.
PrevNextWPTV
By:Jamie Ostroff
Posted
The Department of Homeland Security revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, saying conditions in Haiti “no longer meet the conditions” for a TPS designation. But a different arm of the U.S. government tells a different story
The State Department has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Haiti — its highest level — warning of life-threatening risks and advising Americans not to travel there
Haiti TPS revocation raises questions as State Department warns Americans not to travel there
The conflicting assessments from two federal agencies raise a question: Why does the U.S. government consider Haiti unsafe for Americans, but adequate for Haitian nationals to return?
In the Federal Register, where DHS posted its notice to end TPS, the agency acknowledged concerns about rampant gang violence in Haiti, as well as ongoing international efforts to address it
“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 agency reasoned in its notice
When reached for comment, a DHS spokesperson said, “What we would say now is it’s closing time which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
The spokesperson encouraged Haitians to self-deport
“Temporary Protected Status is exactly that—temporary,” the spokesperson continued. “For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent.”
Cassandra Fultz, a Canadian immigration consultant, said she has been receiving a large volume of calls from Haitians living in the U.S. While she said conditions in a country can sometimes be safer for natives than for foreign visitors, she does not believe that is the case for Haiti
“They don’t want to go back to Haiti at this time, and are really willing to move heaven and earth to avoid doing that,” Fultz said. “What people say is that they’re concerned about safety, and they’re also concerned about their future.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
