Mullin Says Haiti Was DHS’s Latest Deportation Destination

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Thursday that Haiti was the department’s deportation destination for the day, but he disclosed no operational details.

In a post on X, Mullin wrote, “Today’s deportation destination: HAITI.” The post did not give a passenger count, departure location, arrival airport or identities.

The announcement follows two deportation flights to Haiti in August.

An Aug. 24 statement from the Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement transported 162 people to Haiti on Aug. 20 after the termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status.

The Associated Press reported that more than 160 people landed in Cap-Haïtien. It described the flight as the first since the administration ended TPS following a legal battle affecting about 350,000 Haitians.

In the DHS’s press release, the deportees were described as “illegal aliens,” emphasizing those who have criminal convictions or removal orders.

The cited convictions included sexual offenses involving minors, assault, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, weapons and property crimes, obstruction and impaired driving causing serious bodily injury. DHS also alleged that some passengers were gang members.

Those descriptions came from DHS.

On Aug. 27, HaitiLibre reported that an ICE charter carried 57 Haitian nationals to Cap-Haïtien. Several U.S.-born children were traveling with families, including a 1-year-old, according to the outlet.

Reuters reported Aug. 28 that nearly 200,000 people had been forcibly returned to Haiti from multiple countries during the first eight months of 2026, citing a U.N. official. The figure was at least 20,000 higher than during the same period in 2025.

DHS announced the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation on June 27, 2025. According to the department, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 2026, that the termination could take effect.

The department said the ruling also found that federal law generally bars judicial review of future TPS designation and termination decisions. DHS said the justices found challengers were unlikely to succeed on racial discrimination claims.

In the Aug. 24 statement, Mullin argued that TPS was intended to be temporary and accused previous administrations of using it as a permanent immigration program.

DHS is encouraging Haitian nationals it says cannot remain in the United States to report their departures through the CBP Home app. The department said participants receive free transportation, forgiveness of certain civil fines and a $2,600 departure payment.

The department warned that people who do not use the program could be arrested, deported and barred from returning to the United States.

The August flights landed in Cap-Haïtien because the airport in Port-au-Prince was considered too dangerous, according to AP. Mullin’s Thursday post did not disclose whether the latest operation was also headed to Cap-Haïtien.