Bye, Now: ICE Mounts Operations to Remove TPS Haitians From the United States

RedState 

Monday marks the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians. Reports from Fox News and CBS News indicate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has formulated plans for focused operations to ensure the removal of the TPS Haitians from the interior. Areas of particular focus: Indiana, South Florida, and of course, Ohio.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to dramatically ramp up operations to locate and arrest Haitian nationals whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is expected to end imminently, multiple federal sources told Fox News.

The expanded operation is expected to begin as soon as this week.

As RedState reported in June, SCOTUS

issued its decision in Mullin v. Doe, holding that most non-constitutional (i.e., statutory) challenges to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminations cannot even be heard by federal courts. Additionally, the Court held that the constitutional claim, that the decision to terminate TPS status for Haiti was based on racial discrimination, "will likely fail." This constitutes a major win for the Trump administration in the immigration arena and will have significant implications for TPS going forward. 

After fits, starts, attempted lawmaking by the House of Representatives to extend the TPS status for Haitians, and misinformation narratives pushed out about a grace period, a date for termination was established, and come Monday, that date is here. 

So, how these removal operations will go down is so far opaque, but go down they will.

The plans include arresting migrants in Ohio — where large Haitian communities in cities like Springfield have been targeted by President Trump and conservative politicians and commentators — and quickly putting them on deportation flights to crisis-stricken Haiti, the internal documents indicate. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Mr. Trump amplified baseless claims that Haitians in Springfield were eating cats and dogs.

The internal plans for a potential arrest and deportation blitz have been made as more than 300,000 Haitians prepare to lose deportation protections and work permits under the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, program. 

If the documents CBS obtained are accurate, this is the best way to avoid protests outside of detainment centers. One hopes that the operations are stealth enough that these anti-ICE protesters cannot gain access or gum up the works. 

In a statement to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said it "does not discuss ongoing or future operations." It argued TPS has been used as a "defacto amnesty program" and suggested that those set to lose their status should self-deport.

The news cycle this week already promises to be a packed one. This ICE removal operation will only add to the pile.