Haitians 'can't stay here,' DHS says following Supreme Court decision
The estimated 350,000 Haitians living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status should leave, and can get a $2,600 bonus if they depart quickly instead of being deported, Trump administration officials said.
The Supreme Court on June 25 ruled President Donald Trump can end TPS for Haitians who sought sanctuary in the United States following natural disasters and political unrest in the Caribbean island nation. The ruling also covers about 6,000 people from Syria, which endured a devastating civil war between 2011 and 2024.
"These people have been on notice for nine years that this day is coming," James Percival, the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, said June 26 on FOX News. "So what we would say now is that it's closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
Many immigration rights groups expect the Trump administration will also end TPS for about 1 million people from other countries living in the United States, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans.
Trump has repeatedly tried to end TPS for most circumstances, arguing that it was supposed to provide only temporary respite to refugees. It's not clear exactly when the Haitian and Syrian TPS protections will end, but advocates say it will likely happen once the Supreme Court ruling officially takes effect in the next several days.
Haitians fighting the end of TPS argued the Trump administration has racist motivations in ending their protections. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump and and then-U.S. Sen. JD Vance claimed without evidence that Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
Losing TPS means Syrians and Haitians registered with the government no longer have the right to live and work in the United States. They are also subject to detention and deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, if they don't leave voluntarily. Many of them have U.S. citizen children. Migrant rights groups say the Trump administration may be condemning them to a life of poverty, if their parents are forced to leave.
"At this moment, ICE can start knocking on doors and taking people away," said Michael McClelland, a spokesperson for G92, a Springfield faith-based migrant rights group. "I'm sure the Haitian community is terrified."
President Barack Obama in January 2010 granted TPS to Haitians after an earthquake devastated their island. Trump unsuccessfully tried to end it during his first term. It was extended under the Biden administration.
The Supreme Court said, in part, because Trump has been trying to end most forms of TPS, his efforts are not "overtly racial."
Trump won reelection after promising to conduct the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history. He targeted Haitians living in the United States as unwelcome visitors who are not a good cultural fit. Hours after the Supreme Court ruling this week, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly urged Haitians to leave immediately.
"Go home. Get out. We know our country is better than yours. That's because we filled it with our work ethic, culture and values," Kelly said on her podcast. "You being here only dilutes it for us."
In a statement, the White House called the Supreme Court ruling a victory for the president's immigration control agenda.
"These actions are only part of the largest and most aggressive immigration enforcement effort in American history – and more are on the way," the White House said.
Migrant rights groups said the ruling sowed chaos for people who have called the United States home for nearly 20 years, working jobs and raising families in states including Florida, Massachusetts and New York.
The U.S. State Department considers Syria and Haiti unsafe for Americans. The Supreme Court did not rule on that issue, only that Trump has the legal right to force Syrians and Haitians with TPS out of the United States.
"Our immediate concern is what happens to these families and children should they be forced back to the dire circumstances that have long prevented their safe return," Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said in a statement.
People who lack legal permission to live in the United States can get a $2,600 payment for leaving, though they would not receive the money until they prove they're in another country. They could also get a taxpayer-funded plane ticket. They can qualify for the airfare and cash payment using the "CBP Home" app from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
People deported by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents can't get the incentives, which are intended to save taxpayers from the estimated $18,000 per-person cost of each deportation.
Contributing: Amani Bayo, USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haitians 'can't stay here,' DHS says following Supreme Court decision
Reporting by Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 4:20 PM.