US to Deport Haitian Legal Permanent Residents with Alleged Gang Ties

The Trump administration has announced that it will deport Haitians living in the United States as legal permanent residents if they are deemed to have “supported and collaborated” with a Haitian gang. The announcement is the latest move against Haitians living in the US amid the president’s mass deportation drive. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “certain individuals with US lawful permanent resident status have supported and collaborated with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm”.

Following the determination, the Department of Homeland Security can pursue the deportation of the lawful permanent residents, also known as green-card holders. Rubio added that the US “will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organisations or supporting criminal terrorist organisations”. The State Department has been invoking broad powers under the Immigration and Nationality Act to attempt to deport people living in the US on various visas, including as permanent legal residents or students.

The move has been criticized by rights groups, who question how the Trump administration determines connections to organisations it deems “terrorist organisations”. The administration has sought to deport four people under the law for their pro-Palestine advocacy, which the State Department repeatedly equated, without evidence, to anti-Semitism and support for the “terrorist”-designated group Hamas. All four people are challenging their deportations and arrests in immigration and federal courts.

The Haitian community living in the US has been prominently targeted by Trump, first during his campaign, when he falsely accused Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, of “eating” pets. Since taking office, the administration has sought to end several legal statuses for Haitians, including a special humanitarian parole programme under former President Joe Biden, under which more than 200,000 Haitians legally entered the US.

The Trump administration has also sought to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians, a legal status granted to those already living in the US whose home countries are deemed unsafe to return to. In late June, despite the violent crime crisis gripping Haiti, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem declared that the Caribbean nation no longer met the conditions for TPS. However, earlier this month, a federal judge blocked the administration from prematurely halting the programme before its currently scheduled end in February 2026.

The controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s move to deport Haitian legal permanent residents with alleged gang ties highlights the complexities and challenges of US immigration policy. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the administration’s actions will impact the Haitian community living in the US.