Biden administration re-designates and extends TPS for Haiti in major victory
Washington DC - The Biden administration has re-designated and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals in a major win for immigrants' rights advocates.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that TPS for Haiti has been extended for 18 months, from August 4 of this year to February 3, 2026.
Mayorkas also issued a TPS re-designation. Haitian nationals (or people with no nationality who last lived in Haiti) who have resided continuously in the US since June 3, 2024, or before that date are eligible to apply for protections.
"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 a temporary legal status for nationals of designated countries already residing in the US when conditions like political turmoil, armed conflicts, and natural disasters prevent their safe return.
Haiti received its first TPS designation after a deadly earthquake rocked the nation in 2010. The status has been regularly renewed since that time as conditions on the ground remain dangerous.
Haitian advocacy groups have been campaigning for updated protections amid a recent surge in gang violence, exacerbated by generations of Western imperialist exploitation.
The latest updates are expected to shield an additional 309,000 Haitians in the US from deportation, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Growing calls for reparations for Haiti
The turmoil in Haiti – the first Black Republic established by formerly enslaved people – has sparked renewed demands for reparations from Western nations which have consistently exploited the country and its people.
After Haiti's triumph over Western imperialism, France used military force to demand the fledgling country pay 150 million francs in regular installments. A 2022 New York Times analysis found that the money Haiti gave France would have added at least $21 billion to the country's economy over the last two centuries.
The US was also complicit. American Marines invaded and looted Haiti's National Bank in December 1914, transferring $500,000 in gold reserves to New York. The next summer, the US launched a 19-year occupation of the country.
This legacy of intervention triggered cycles of debt, vulnerability, and trauma that persist to the present day. Powerful nations have made matters even worse by continuing to interfere in Haitian elections and to manufacture the weapons enabling today's gang violence.
Haiti recently formed a transitional ruling council and swore in Garry Conille as interim prime minister in a bid to restore order amid chaos. But advocates say efforts to combat the political and economic crisis and to secure justice for the Haitian people will be incomplete without reparations.
Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance executive director and TPS justice advocate, joined resounding calls for redress at the United Nations in April, while also criticizing the Biden administration for resuming deportation flights to Haiti.
Jozef has welcomed the Biden administration's latest move but urged the government to go further. "This is only a temporary measure. I call on the US Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would create a pathway to permanent protection for all TPS recipients," she said.
"A long-term solution is urgently needed to provide stability and security for these individuals who have already proven to be vital members of our communities and economy. It’s time for our leaders to recognize their contributions and ensure they have the opportunity to integrate and thrive in the United States fully."
Cover photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP