On December 5th, 2022, Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas stated that Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) will be extended for an additional eighteen months, from February 4th, 2023, until August 3rd, 2024. The reason for Haiti’s TPS extension and redesignation is due to the poor conditions in the nation. Among these conditions and conflicts are a protracted political crisis, severe insecurity, and gang crime that intensified an already dreadful economic situation. There is also a lack of access to resources such as food, water, fuel, and health care during a resurgence of a bacteria called cholera, and the most recent devastating earthquakes that have destroyed a large part of the region.
Although the extension of TPS is beneficial to Haitian nationals already residing in the United States, it does not apply to immigrants attempting to seek asylum here. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes sure to emphasize that TPS will only be available to those who meet all other qualifications along with having been residents in the United States as of November 6th, 2022. Those who seek to enter the country after this date will not be qualified for TPS, and if they do attempt to enter the U.S. illegally or without a valid visa, they risk being sent home, and banned from entering this nation for a few years following the attempt.
Even though the extension of TPS cannot help everyone, it will beneficially impact thousands of Haitian nationals. Specifically, if they continue to fulfill TPS eligibility standards and requirements, then roughly a little over 100,000 existing beneficiaries of TPS for Haiti may continue to receive benefits until August of 2024.
