The Trump administration has deported 300 Haitians to Haiti over the past two weeks, marking the first removals since the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for Haitian nationals. Separately, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has expanded its deportation strategy by sending deportees from multiple countries to eight African nations, including Burundi, Cameroon, and Rwanda, under new "third country" agreements.
Deportation of Haitians resumes
ICE confirmed two deportation flights to Haiti in recent weeks, transporting approximately 300 individuals. The removals follow the expiration of TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians, who were previously shielded from deportation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a video on social media stating that those without TPS protections are in the U.S. illegally and face arrest, detention, or deportation if they do not leave. The video showed Haitian men being loaded onto a plane, dressed in light-gray sweatsuits and guided by federal officers.
In Springfield, Ohio, lawyers for Haitian residents reported that hundreds received notices to check in with immigration authorities, with many fitted with ankle monitors. ICE has indicated plans to expand enforcement efforts nationally, including in Ohio, where President Trump has previously made statements about Haitian communities.
Expansion of third-country deportations
Internal U.S. government documents obtained by CBS News reveal that ICE has sent deportees from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Nepal, Turkey, and Venezuela to eight African countries over a 10-day period. These nations—Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone—have no direct ties to the deportees. The documents also note that some African detainees were sent to countries outside their continent.
More than 30 countries worldwide have agreed to participate in these third-country deportation arrangements, including several in Latin America such as Costa Rica, Panama, and Paraguay. However, a growing number of African nations have recently entered into these agreements, including conflict-ridden countries like the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Some African countries, such as Ghana and Sierra Leone, have agreed to accept only deportees from other African nations, while others, including Eswatini and Liberia, have received individuals from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
The federal documents describe these agreements as part of an intensifying campaign to use third-country deportations to remove individuals with no ties to the destination nations. The international arrangements have largely been conducted in secrecy, with limited public disclosure of the terms or conditions of these agreements.
Policy and legal context
The deportations of Haitians follow the termination of TPS, a program that granted temporary legal status to nationals of countries facing environmental disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions. The Trump administration has argued that conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to justify ending protections, though critics dispute this assessment. Legal challenges to the termination of TPS have been ongoing, with courts previously blocking attempts to end protections before allowing the administration to proceed.
The expansion of third-country deportations represents a broader shift in U.S. immigration enforcement, prioritizing removals even when deportees have no connection to the destination countries. This strategy has raised concerns among human rights organizations about the welfare and safety of individuals sent to unfamiliar or unstable regions. ICE has not publicly detailed the criteria for selecting destination countries or the safeguards in place to ensure the well-being of deportees.