The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced it plans to strip hundreds of thousands of Haitians of their temporary immigration protections, despite acknowledging that certain conditions in the country “remain concerning”.On Wednesday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency (USCIS) issued a notice in the Federal Register revealing its intent to sever Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians on February 3.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSome 352,959 Haitian nationals and stateless people of Haitian origin are expected to be affected, according to government estimates.The notice, currently in draft form, will become official on Friday.In explaining its decision, the Department of Homeland Security sought to walk a fine line. On one hand, it argued that violent gang activity and instability in Haiti were national security threats to the US.On the other, it maintained that conditions in Haiti were safe enough to merit the return of the Haitians currently shielded by TPS.Nixing the programme for Haitian nationals, the department said, would be akin to giving a vote of confidence to Haiti’s future.“Ending Temporary Protected Status for Haiti reflects a necessary and strategic vote of confidence in the new chapter Haiti is turning,” the notice said.“The United States cannot call for bold change on the ground while signaling doubt from afar.”Temporary Protected Status is a short-term protection granted to foreign applicants who are already in the US but find that conditions in their home country have become unsafe du …
