An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter flight carrying 161 people landed in northern Haiti on Thursday, marking the first U.S. deportation flight to the country since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians.
The aircraft departed from Alexandria, Louisiana, and arrived shortly before noon at Cap-Haïtien International Airport. Haiti’s National Office of Migration confirmed that 161 people were on board after authorities initially expected a larger group.
The returnees included people who had previously held TPS, individuals with criminal records who had completed their prison sentences, people with final removal orders and some people born outside Haiti who were returned based on their Haitian parentage.
Many of the deportees arrived wearing white clothing, with some covering their faces as journalists photographed and documented their arrival. Haitian authorities provided the returnees with food, water and financial assistance equivalent to roughly $65 to $76 to help with transportation costs.
Officials said those who could not reach their final destinations that same day would be temporarily housed in secure locations.
Thursday’s flight was the first since Haiti’s TPS designation formally ended in late July. U.S. officials had previously notified Haitian authorities that deportations were expected to increase following the termination, with plans for as many as two flights per week carrying approximately 250 people.
The flight was also the eighth U.S. deportation flight to Haiti in 2026. A previous flight on July 16 carried more than 100 people, many of whom had criminal records.
The aircraft landed in Cap-Haïtien rather than Port-au-Prince because the capital’s main airport remains heavily affected by gang violence. The United States has also restricted commercial flights to Port-au-Prince because of the ongoing security concerns.
Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, director general of Haiti’s National Office of Migration, said the Haitian government does not request the deportations but receives the returnees and works to help them reach their destinations.
With U.S. immigration enforcement expected to expand following the end of TPS, additional deportation flights are expected to arrive in Haiti in the coming weeks, putting further pressure on a country already facing a severe security and humanitarian crisis.
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