The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has declared that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals will end on February 3, 2026. Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS, following a review by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and consultations with other government agencies. The DHS indicated that allowing Haitian nationals to remain in the United States is inconsistent with U.S. national interests.

This decision affects more than half a million Haitians who may now face repatriation to a country grappling with severe instability, marked by rampant gang violence that controls significant access routes to the capital, Port-au-Prince. The United Nations reports that approximately 2.7 million people live in gang-dominated neighborhoods, with over 1.4 million internally displaced due to the ongoing crisis.

DHS has advised current TPS beneficiaries from Haiti to prepare for departure unless they have another lawful basis to remain in the U.S. Attorney Ira Kurzban, part of a legal team challenging the administration's decision, criticized the rationale for ending TPS as misleading, attributing Haiti's political and economic instability in part to U.S. foreign policy. He described the reasons for terminating TPS as frivolous and indicative of systemic biases against Haitian and Black refugees.

In a separate development, the U.S. State Department has altered its approach to commemorating World AIDS Day, which has been recognized since 1988. A directive issued in 2023 instructs employees and grantees not to use government funds to commemorate this day, part of a broader policy to avoid messaging on commemorative days. While employees can highlight their work in combating infectious diseases, they are advised against promoting World AIDS Day through public communication channels. A spokesperson for the State Department emphasized that the focus is on direct collaboration with foreign governments to enhance their responsibilities in managing health crises, suggesting that awareness days do not constitute a strategic approach.