DHS tells – After a Supreme Court ruling gave President Donald Trump new power to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, DHS officials said an estimated 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. should leave. The administration laid out a fast-departure incentive package while a
When the Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that President Donald Trump can end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. the message from the Trump administration came quickly—and bluntly. On June 26. James Percival. the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security. told Fox News that people who have relied on TPS for years are now being told the window is closing.
“These people have been on notice for nine years that this day is coming,” Percival said. “So what we would say now is that it’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
The DHS position applies to an estimated 350,000 Haitians living in the United States under TPS. The administration said they should leave and can receive a $2,600 bonus if they depart quickly rather than waiting for deportation.
The Supreme Court’s decision also covers about 6,000 people from Syria, according to the reporting. The ruling concerned Syrians who sought sanctuary in the U.S. after the civil war from 2011 to 2024.
It is not clear, however, exactly when the Haitian and Syrian TPS protections will end. Advocates said it will likely occur once the Supreme Court ruling officially takes effect in the next several days.
The legal fight has now turned into a race over timing. Losing TPS means Syrians and Haitians registered with the government no longer have the right to live and work in the United States. It also means they can be detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they do not leave voluntarily. Many families include children who are U.S. citizens. and migrant rights groups say the impact could extend for years—potentially condemning parents to poverty if they are forced to leave.
“At this moment, ICE can start knocking on doors and taking people away,” said Michael McClelland, a spokesperson for G92, a Springfield faith-based migrant rights group. “I’m sure the Haitian community is terrified.”
Haitians have been under TPS since January 2010, when President Barack Obama granted it after an earthquake devastated the island nation. Trump tried to end TPS during his first term, unsuccessfully, and it was later extended under the Biden administration.
In the court’s ruling. the Supreme Court said. in part. that because Trump has been trying to end most forms of TPS. his efforts are not “overtly racial.” That reasoning has not satisfied critics. Haitians fighting to keep TPS argued the administration’s motives are racist. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump and then-U.S. Sen. JD Vance claimed without evidence that Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
The decision comes amid a broader effort Trump has promised to pursue. He won reelection after pledging to conduct the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history, and he has targeted Haitians living in the United States as unwelcome visitors who are not a good cultural fit.
Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly urged Haitians to leave immediately. On her podcast, she said: “Go home. Get out. We know our country is better than yours. That’s because we filled it with our work ethic, culture and values. You being here only dilutes it for us.”.
The White House framed the ruling as a win for immigration control. In a statement. it called the Supreme Court decision a victory for the president’s immigration control agenda and said: “These actions are only part of the largest and most aggressive immigration enforcement effort in American history – and more are on the way.”.
The administration’s message did not stop at Haitians and Syrians. Many immigration rights groups expect the Trump administration to end TPS for about 1 million people from other countries living in the United States, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans.
There is no question TPS has functioned as a stabilizer for people who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years. Rights groups said the ruling will sow chaos for people who have called the United States home for nearly 20 years. working jobs and raising families in states such as Florida. Massachusetts and New York.
Under the administration’s framework, people who lack legal permission to live in the United States can receive $2,600. They would not receive the money until they prove they are in another country. They could also qualify for a taxpayer-funded plane ticket. The airfare and cash payment can be sought using the CBP Home app from Customs and Border Protection.
People deported by ICE agents cannot access the incentives, which the program is designed to keep from costing taxpayers an estimated $18,000 per person for each deportation.
While the Supreme Court did not rule on whether Syria and Haiti are unsafe for Americans, the State Department considers both countries unsafe. The court’s decision focused on whether Trump has the legal right to force Syrians and Haitians with TPS out of the United States.
“We must be clear about what happens next,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said in a statement. “Our immediate concern is what happens to these families and children should they be forced back to the dire circumstances that have long prevented their safe return.”
As DHS language turns to enforcement, the practical stakes for families with TPS protections hinge on one detail: how quickly they can leave—and whether they will have any choice at all once ICE involvement begins.
Temporary Protected Status TPS Haitians Syria DHS Supreme Court Donald Trump ICE deportation $2 600 CBP Home app Global Refuge G92 Springfield Ohio Megyn Kelly