In recent decades, the United States has experienced a significant increase in the number of immigrants from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. While just 5,000 Haitians lived in the United States in 1960, migrants from Haiti began arriving in larger numbers following the collapse of the Jean-Claude Duvalier dictatorship in the late 1980s. Beyond political instability, endemic poverty and natural disasters, including a devastating 2010 earthquake, have propelled migration to the United States, often by boat. In 2015, there were 676,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States, up from 587,000 in 2010; Haitians account for less than 2 percent of the U.S. foreign-born population.

The future for tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants remains unclear as the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation allowing them to remain in the United States is set to expire on January 22, 2018. The U.S. government swiftly added Haiti to the list of TPS designation countries after a 2010 earthquake that caused tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 1.5 million people. More than 58,000 Haitian immigrants already in the United States prior to the 2010 earthquake have been granted TPS, which provides work authorization and relief from deportation.

The Trump administration is monitoring Haiti’s earthquake recovery to determine whether to renew the TPS designation in 2018. In May 2017, following the announcement of the most recent six-month extension, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly advised TPS holders to use the time to “prepare for and arrange their departure” in case the designation is not renewed. Haiti’s recovery has been hampered by Hurricane Matthew and a severe cholera outbreak, in addition to political instability and deep poverty.

Read the full article by Jennifer Schulz and Jeanne Batalova about Haitian immigration from Migration Policy Institute