US deportation flight arrives in Haiti with 46 passengers

Dozens of deportees from the United States were on board a flight that landed in Haiti from Miami with 46 passengers, 25 of whom were convicted felons, according to reports.

The Trump administration discarded protections that shielded roughly half a million Haitians from deportation, meaning they would lose their work permits and could be subject to removal from the country.

Many of the Haitians deported Tuesday had crossed into the United States illegally or were waiting for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) which grants individuals legal authority to remain in the country but does not offer a long-term pathway to citizenship for Haitians.

The decision to terminate the TPS was announced in February and is part of a sweeping effort by the Trump administration to fulfill campaign promises regarding mass deportations and specifically to reduce the use of the Temporary Protected Status designation, which was significantly expanded under the Biden administration to cover about one million immigrants.

As the security situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, human rights and migrant advocacy groups urged a halt to deportation flights to Haiti, stating that the U.S. was knowingly condemning the most vulnerable, who came to us in their time of need, to imminent danger.