The Biden administration is planning on extending deportation protection for more than 300,000 Haitians living in the United States.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is rolling out new deportation protections for around 309,000 Haitian nationals, according to a Friday announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The maneuver involves giving Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to more recent Haitian arrivals, many of whom fled the island country amid government upheaval, and also extends TPS already designated to hundreds of thousands of other Haitian nationals.

“We are providing this humanitarian relief to Haitians already present in the United States given the conditions that existed in their home country as of June 3, 2024,” Mayorkas said in a statement.” In doing so, we are realizing the core objective of the TPS law and our obligation to fulfill it.”

TPS is given to certain foreign nationals living in the U.S. whose home countries are experiencing extreme upheaval through either natural disasters or political instability, making returning home potentially dangerous. The designation shields those with deportation protection, even if they are living in the country unlawfully, and can provide work permits.

Mayorkas already designated Haitians with TPS in 2021 and renewed it in late 2022. This new order renews Haitians with TPS again and provides TPS to Haitians who’ve arrived since late 2022.

The move will give Haitian nationals deportation protection until early 2026, according to the announcement.

“After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Mayorkas determined on June 3, 2024, that an 18-month extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS is warranted because conditions that support Haiti’s designation are ongoing and that doing so was not contrary to the national interest of the United States,” read the announcement. “Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water.”

There are roughly 863,880 foreign nationals currently living in the U.S. with TPS protection, according to a May congressional report. The new designation announced by Mayorkas would likely bump the current numbers to over 1 million foreign nationals with TPS.

The political situation in Haiti has grown dire over the past year. Criminal organizations have wreaked instability in the country’s capital by seizing control of the main port in the city, setting fire to police stations, breaking open prisons and storming the national palace.

Since at least March, gangs have controlled around 80% of the country’s capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Featured image credit:  (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)