U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Haitian migrants are their next target for deportations. The trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for the demographic earlier this week.
WCCO spoke with two men who came from Haiti with their families two years ago. Using a translator, WCCO asked questions in Spanish and received answers in Creole.
“The situation couldn’t be any harder for us right now,” said one Haitian husband and father of two.
He didn’t want to be named, and remembers his 10-year-old looking out their apartment window during Operation Metro Surge.
“When she saw ICE agents, she went hiding under the bed. It was shocking and very painful for me,” he added.
“You cannot step outside for a moment to buy water or diapers,” said another Haitian man, who is a husband and father of three.
The two men entered the country under a program called CBP One, which allowed people to schedule border appointments. It was canceled in January 2025.
They’ve both applied for an asylum case. Historically, asylum seekers can legally stay in the United States while waiting for the cases decision.
“The situation is really complicated,” said one of the men.
In 2025, then-Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that Haiti no longer met the conditions for its designation for TPS, which was granted following the 2010 earthquake.
“The population is living in fear of being kidnapped or killed,” one of the men added.
The U.S. Department of State currently has the country on its highest advisory, telling Americans not to travel there. In the last week of July, more than 300,000 Haitians lost their deportation protections and work permits under the TPS program.
WCCO asked them if they were scared in the moment of the interview.
“Yes,” they both answered.
A situation, they say, leaves them at a loss of what to do.
“This is a very stressful situation. it’s scary to go to work,” one of the men added.
DHS told CBS News it “does not discuss ongoing or future operations.”
Last month, the number of detainees booked into ICE custody hit a monthly record high for the second Trump administration.
Frankie McLister
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