The designation that has allowed Haitian refugees who escaped the 2010 earthquake to live and work in the U.S., is coming to a shocking end. Nearly 60,000 Haitians living in America will be revert back to immigrant status within the next 18 months, as Senior Trump Administration voted to terminate the program on July 22, 2019, just this past Monday. 

According to CNN, the change is a part of a larger mission to tighten up immigration in the U.S., a point that President Donald Trump has been adamant about since his inauguration. The decision was made after deliberation concluded to the point that Haiti is no longer unsafe dwelling and the devastation caused by the 2010 earthquake has since been done away with.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an immigration status granted by law for countries experiencing dire conditions, such as a natural disaster, epidemic or war. It protects individuals from deportation and grants them access to work in the U.S. Meant to only last a short while, TPS for the Haitian refugees had already been extended an additional six months by former Homeland Security Secretary and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Apparently, when granting the extension, Kelly warned the displaced Haitian community to begin preparing for their next steps once the extension ended by either preparing to return to their homeland or working toward American citizenship.

"Based on all available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process, Acting Secretary Duke determined that those extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake no longer exist," per a statement from the Department of Homeland Security. "Thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated."

According to DHS, the department can grant a country TPS whenever it has been affected by "conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately."  This includes but is not limited to natural disasters and wars.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez blasted the Haiti move on Twitter, saying that "Donald Trump's cruelty knows no bounds." "As the proud son of two immigrants who fled an oppressive regime, I'm disgusted at the President's heartlessness," Perez said in a statement shared by the DNC. "With this decision, Trump is tearing families apart and turning his back on the values that have made our country great." Other political figures have also chimed in on the decision.

haiti earthquakeImmigrationrefugeesTrump administration