Key facts
- Over 160 individuals were deported to Haiti on Thursday.
- The deportations are the first since the U.S. ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Haitians.
- The flight landed in Cap-Haitien because Port-au-Prince's main airport is considered too dangerous.
- Deportees included TPS holders and individuals who had served prison sentences.
- Activists have raised concerns about Haiti's capacity to handle the influx of deportees amid ongoing gang violence and humanitarian crises.
The U.S. deported over 160 individuals to Haiti on Thursday, marking the first such flight since the Trump administration's legal victory to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for approximately 350,000 Haitians. The plane landed in Cap-Haitien, as the capital's main airport is deemed too dangerous due to ongoing gang violence, which controls an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince. Many deportees, some of whom were not born in Haiti, expressed fear of being targeted by gangs and noted the perilous journey to their home regions. Haitian officials stated their role is to welcome returned migrants and assist them in reaching their homes, offering limited financial aid and temporary shelter. Activists have warned that Haiti, already facing a severe humanitarian crisis with over half its population needing assistance, lacks the resources to adequately support the returnees. The U.S. government has also continued to arrest and deport Haitian migrants, including a pastor and another man in Ohio. Organizations in Haiti have criticized the deportations, highlighting the lack of government measures to assist these individuals and the potential for family separation.