Haiti: U.S. Deportations Raise Human Rights Concerns Amid Ongoing Crisis

Author: Felipe Chitic-Luis

October 2, 2026

HRRC urges the U.S. authorities to ensure that deportations to Haiti comply with international human rights standards, including due process and the principle of non-refoulement.

Haitians deported from the United States wait to be registered after arriving at Cap-Haïtien International Airport, Haiti, August 27, 2026. [Image credit: Nathalye Cotrino/Human Rights Watch]

Since the United States ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians on July 27 of this year, deportations to Haiti have increased. According to Human Rights Watch between August 20 and September 17, 474 Haitians were deported on five consecutive weekly flights. 

On September 21, Human Rights Watch released the analysis on the interview of 44 people who had been deported and documented concerns about their treatment before and after their return. Several deportees reported having issues accessing attorneys or immigration proceedings and said that they arrived without personal belongings and resources.

Additionally the conditions upon arrival raised concerns. Deportation flights are currently arriving in Cap-Haïtien due to insecurity regarding Port-au-Prince’s airport. Haitians authorities and humanitarian organizations have limited capacity to provide shelter, transportation, and other assistance to help people arriving on these flights. According to a report by Le Novelliste on September 10, 82 deportees arrived in Cap-Haïtien more than seven hours late. Haitian  migrant-rights organization GARR reported that the deportees had spent more than half a day with their hands and feet restrained during the journey.  

The returns are occurring amid Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis. The International Organization for Migration reported that 28, 104 people have been forcibly returned to Haiti from abroad in August alone, the highest since its monitoring began in 2021. Nearly 180, 000 people were forcibly returned to Haiti between January and August 2026.  

The Inter-American Human Rights Commission warned in August that the United States must consider the risks by individuals returned to Haiti. The commission called out the principle of non-refoulement which aims to protect individuals from being returned to countries where they faced serious threats to their lives or personal integrity, as well as the assessment and respect for due process. 

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Glossary

Deportation: to force someone to leave a country, especially someone who has no legal right to be there or who has broken the law

Deportee: a person who has been or is waiting to be deported 

Due Process: a citizen's fair treatment within the rules of a government's legal system 

Forcibly returned: the state-enforced physical removal of a non-national from a country's territory back to their country of origin, transit, or a third country

Humanitarian Crisis: a significant disruption of the normal functioning of a community, leading to widespread human suffering 

Immigration Proceedings: United States government’s first steps to remove an immigrant from the country.

Non-refoulement: guarantees that no one should be re-

turned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and

other irreparable harm.

Serious threats: refer to intimidation tactics—such as threatening deportation, reporting someone to immigration authorities, or withholding pay—used to coerce individuals into compliance, labor, or silence. 

Temporary Protected Status (TPS): temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.