NAIROBI, Kenya – The United States government, under the administration of President Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, that it will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 340,000 Haitian nationals, with the protection set to expire on February 3 of the coming year. The decision, detailed in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice, has profound implications for Kenya's ongoing foreign policy and security engagement in the Caribbean state.

The move comes as Kenyan police officers lead the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, a UN-authorized force tasked with helping the Haitian National Police quell rampant gang violence and restore stability. The US policy shift threatens to exacerbate the very crisis the Kenyan-led mission is attempting to mitigate by potentially forcing hundreds of thousands of people to return to a nation in chaos.

US Justification Clashes with Haitian Reality

In the official notice, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Haiti no longer faces the “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that initially warranted the protection. The department argued that allowing Haitians to remain is “contrary to the US national interest,” citing a lack of central authority in Haiti to ensure its nationals do not undermine US security.

This assessment starkly contrasts with reports from international bodies on the ground. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in October 2025 that a record 1.4 million people have been internally displaced in Haiti this year alone due to escalating violence. United Nations agencies estimate that gangs control at least 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Furthermore, UNICEF stated in an October 2025 report that an estimated 6 million Haitians, including 3.3 million children, require urgent humanitarian assistance. The UN has also documented a surge in killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence, with more than 1,520 people killed in the second quarter of 2025.

Implications for the Kenyan-Led MSS Mission

The US decision creates a significant challenge for the MSS mission, which has been on the ground since June 2024. The mission, whose mandate was extended by the UN Security Council until October 2, 2025, is already facing funding and staffing shortfalls. The potential influx of hundreds of thousands of returnees could overwhelm Haiti's non-existent social services, fuel recruitment for armed gangs, and further destabilize the security situation that Kenyan forces are working to contain.

While the Trump administration has previously expressed support for the mission, this immigration policy appears to work at cross-purposes with the stabilization efforts. The US has been a key financial and logistical supporter of the mission, but this move could be seen as undermining the conditions necessary for its success. As of Thursday, November 27, 2025, Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs had not issued a public statement responding to the DHS announcement.

Background of a Decades-Old Protection

Temporary Protected Status was first granted to Haitians in the United States following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 200,000 people. The status allows individuals from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the US on a temporary basis. The protection for Haitians has been renewed multiple times due to subsequent political crises, natural disasters, and the ongoing security collapse. The Trump administration has consistently sought to end TPS designations for several countries, arguing the program has been abused. A federal judge had previously halted an earlier attempt by the administration to end the status for Haitians ahead of schedule.

The termination of TPS now sets a firm deadline, forcing affected Haitians to either find an alternative legal pathway to remain in the US or prepare for deportation to a country that the UN, aid agencies, and the Kenyan-led security forces all agree is dangerously unstable.