A deportation flight carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, on Thursday. This marks the first such flight since the US Supreme Court upheld the power to remove Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from 350,000 Haitians and others.
The flight, operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arrived in Haiti's second-largest city because the main international airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is deemed too dangerous. The US government has a ban on commercial flights to Port-au-Prince through early September due to ongoing gang violence.
Many of the deportees, who were reportedly given the equivalent of US$76.40, covered their faces upon arrival, with some expressing fears of being targeted by gangs. Gangs are estimated to control 70% of Port-au-Prince and significant areas beyond.
The US Department of State's travel advisory for US citizens is at its highest alert level, stating: "Do not travel to Haiti for any reason. US citizens are at risk due to crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care."
The end of TPS for Haitian nationals followed a Washington DC district judge removing a stay on deportations earlier this month, after the Supreme Court backed the Trump administration's efforts to end the program.