Allowing Temporary Protected Status to expire and forcing the foreign nationals who were in the program to return to countries which remain unsafe, hurt local American economies and diminish American leadership abroad.
TPS was created in the Immigration Act of 1990 to assist Salvadorans who were in the United States and couldn’t return home safely due to civil war. Americans have since allowed people from 17 specific countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to legally remain and work in the United States for a temporary period.
At the beginning of the second Trump Administration in 2025, there were about 1.3 million individuals in United States with TPS. By recent counts, the three countries with the largest beneficiary populations are El Salvador, Venezuela, and Haiti – and Haitians’ TPS has now expired.
Congress created TPS out of compassion, but, for over 30 years, Americans have benefitted from this generosity. TPS holders fill open jobs, pay taxes, start businesses, and in doing so help to revitalize communities.
Humanitarian programs like TPS advance American leadership abroad through soft power. The United States has long been a destination for those whose home countries cannot provide them safety, security, or economic opportunity. Our welcoming character and history of goodwill have made us a partner of choice globally.
A country whose nationals qualify for TPS isn’t a safe or stable place, often with problems that could prevent it from successfully repatriating its citizens. Returning nationals home when their government is dealing with crisis may also cost Americans goodwill and open the door to adversaries like Russia and China who are eager to extend their influence.
Of the three countries with the largest number of nationals with TPS, Haiti offers the best illustration of why the policy is good to maintain.
More than 350,000 Haitians were on TPS until the Trump Administration decided to end Haiti’s designation as a country whose citizens were eligible for this classification. Litigation delayed implementation, but a recent Supreme Court ruling cleared the way, and Haitian TPS ended July 27.
Haiti’s designation originated with a devastating earthquake in 2010 but was extended by successive administrations, including the first Trump Administration, due to ongoing issues with violence, corruption, and lawlessness. In 2021, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, and gangs now control most of the Haitian capital.
While 16 years of TPS pushes the definition of temporary, Haiti remains unsafe because of gang violence, instability, and poverty. These aren’t conditions for protection under refugee and asylum law, so for many Haitians, TPS was their only option to stay in the United States. There is no pathway for those on TPS to make their U.S. status permanent.
Florida hosts the most Haitian TPS holders, but tens of thousands live in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Haitians work in many roles across our economy: as caregivers for children and the elderly, as teachers, and in agriculture, hospitality, supply chain, manufacturing, and healthcare. across our economy: as caregivers for children and the elderly, as teachers, and in agriculture, hospitality, supply chain, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Cancelling TPS, thereby removing legal work authorization, will be disruptive to the American communities who rely on these workers. Whether they work in manufacturing in Ohio or eldercare in Florida, the Haitians that filled these roles will be difficult to replace.
But their impending departure, whether voluntary or forced, will be incredibly disruptive to Haiti, too. Haiti is wracked by corruption and organized crime. This situation isn’t a mild public safety issue – it’s a massive humanitarian and security crisis. Illicit drugs and weapons regularly transit through Haiti, funding continual criminal activity.
The United States reportedly told the Haitian migration ministry to expect around 1,000 deportees per month. Haiti is unable to responsibly and successfully reintegrate those people when more than half of the population currently on the island doesn’t have enough food to eat and thousands of people are murdered annually. Unfortunately, the dire conditions in Haiti are unlikely to resolve soon.
It’s tempting to view humanitarian programs as only benefitting the individuals, or the countries, targeted for relief. Compassionate policies like TPS are not one sided. They are an investment in people who desire freedom and opportunity. Americans are rewarded with more prosperous communities and more safety and security abroad.
