First deportees arrive in troubled Haiti after TPS ends

Key Points:

• The U.S. deported over 160 people to Haiti on Thursday, marking the first such flight since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for around 350,000 Haitians, following a Supreme Court ruling.
• Due to gang violence and a ban on commercial flights to Port-au-Prince, the deportees landed in Cap-Haitien; many feared gang reprisals as gangs control about 70% of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
• Deportees included TPS holders and former prisoners, with some not born in Haiti but of Haitian descent; Haitian authorities offered minimal assistance and planned to help those unable to reach their homes immediately.
• Activists warn Haiti is ill-equipped to handle deportees amid severe gang violence, poverty, and displacement affecting millions, with over 3,100 killings reported in the first half of the year.
• U.S. immigration enforcement continues arrests and deportations of Haitians, including notable figures like a popular pastor in Ohio, while Haitian groups criticize the lack of government support and the humanitarian impact of these deportations.