ILAP Appalled by Trump Administration’s Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2025
CONTACT: press@ilapmaine.org

Maine – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti on June 27. Unless halted by the courts, the termination will go into effect on September 2, 2025, affecting approximately half a million people. 

TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to provide critical humanitarian protection to people in the U.S. when war, environmental disaster, or other disastrous conditions happen in their home country preventing them from safely returning. In addition to protection from deportation, TPS provides work permits and TPS holders make extensive economic contributions to the U.S. Here in Maine, ILAP alone serves nearly 200 Haitian TPS holders. Haitian TPS holders make huge contributions to core Maine industries including blueberries and Christmas wreaths, and bring irreplaceable vibrancy, strength, and community to our state.  

Sue Roche, ILAP’s Executive Director said: “Under U.S. law, ending a TPS designation for a country means that conditions have improved to an extent that people’s lives will not be endangered if they return. For the Trump administration to claim that conditions in Haiti are anything but catastrophic and life-threatening is absurd. Our own State Department has the highest “Do Not Travel” warning for Haiti right now. The country is experiencing extreme violence, rampant kidnappings, and one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the world. The termination of TPS for Haiti shows the extent of the administration’s disrespect for our laws, racial animus, and abject cruelty, and it places the lives of Maine residents at risk. We expect to see swift challenges in the courts and continue to call on Maine’s Congressional delegation to take action to protect TPS holders and other immigrant communities in Maine.” 

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