Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Noman Sabit: A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling has granted the Trump administration the authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 350,000 immigrants from Haiti and Syria who had been living and working legally in the United States.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin detailed the administration’s upcoming strategy, signaling an end to the decades-long stays of many protected individuals. “Temporary Protected Status was never intended to be permanent,” Mullin told anchor Jake Tapper. He noted that many recipients have been in the country for 15 to 20 years and had ample time to pursue standard legal channels.
According to Mullin, affected individuals currently have a few options: they can apply for permanent residence, seek a temporary visa, or return home. However, remaining legally in the U.S. is not guaranteed and requires meeting strict criteria. Mullin clarified that applications will be rejected for anyone with a felony record, anyone facing criminal charges, or anyone “living off the taxpayer dollars.”
Conversely, those who have maintained full-time employment may qualify to stay under certain circumstances, though they must clear the standard legal immigration process.
For those who exit voluntarily, the Department of Homeland Security is offering a financial buffer. “We will actually give you a plane ticket, plus roughly $2,100 to help you re-establish when you get there,” Mullin said. For individuals who do not transition to another legal status or leave voluntarily, the federal government is preparing for forced deportations. When questioned about current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bans on commercial flights to Port-au-Prince and civil aviation restrictions in Syria, Mullin explained that the government would bypass commercial restrictions by using its own fleet.
“We have deportation flights, where we can get into areas where maybe commercial travel can’t go to,” he said, adding that they “expect to have pretty full flights going back.” The interview grew tense when Tapper raised safety concerns, citing the State Department’s own Level 4 “do not travel” advisory for Haiti, which warns of rampant gang warfare, homicides, and sexual violence. Mullin counter-argued that the travel warning is designed for U.S. citizens who are high-value targets for ransom kidnappings, rather than local nationals.
“That advisory is to American citizens traveling to Haiti, not Haitians going back home,” Mullin stated.
The DHS Secretary concluded by stating that the return of these populations is necessary for the long-term recovery of their native nations. Pointing to Syria as an example of a country that has “come a long ways,” Mullin argued that both Syria and Haiti require their citizens to return to stabilize their communities. “If we really want those countries to succeed, then they need the best of the best to be back in their country living there. And we’re going to assist them in that,” Mullin said.
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