Biden to expand deportation protections for Haitians already in the U.S. as country still engulfed in chaos

Some 300,000 Haitians living in the United States are set to benefit from renewed deportation protections from the Biden administration, which is set to announce the expansion of Temporary Protected Status for the nationals from the troubled country, The Miami Herald reported on Friday.

Concretely, the Department of Homeland Security is set to extend and redesign the plan for Haitian nationals for 18 months. The decision has to do with the deteriorated situation in the country, where almost 600,000 people have been displaced by continued violence and gangs control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as rural areas lack any kind of police protection.

To be benefited by the measure, Haitians need to have been in the U.S. as of June 3. There are currently 214,000 already receiving benefits, but the new measure could expand the figure to over 300,000 more.

The decision contrasts with others taken by the Biden administration throughout the past months, as it has interdicted several boats carrying Haitians escaping the country and conducted at least two deportation flights.

The latest one took place this week, when Border Patrol agents intercepted over 100 undocumented Haitian immigrants off the coast of Key West, Florida. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the 118 migrants were found on a boat in Florida waters around 4 a.m., where they were subsequently subjected to medical examinations, interviews, and processing.

Local emergency medical services were on-site to evaluate the migrants' conditions and the migrants, who had been at sea for seven days, are now under the custody of Border Patrol. They will be transported to Border Patrol facilities in Marathon, in the Florida Keys, and Dania Beach, in Broward County, north of Miami.

Two weeks ago, the Coast Guard said it

returned almost 200 "following two migrant voyage interdictions" earlier this month. One had left from the northern city of Cap-Haïtien and the other from Île de la Tortue, but were returned after respective interdictions.

"Irregular maritime migration is unlawful and extremely dangerous. The OVS maritime border security mission is often equal parts law enforcement and humanitarian response, especially as we enter hurricane season and marine weather becomes more severe and unpredictable," said Lt. Nick Fujimoto, Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer in a passage of the press release.

"The Coast Guard urges any potential migrants considering the journey: don't take to the sea and risk your life just to be sent back. Use the safe, orderly and lawful pathways available like the CHNV process."

Haiti continues to face an uncertain scenario, although it's taking steps toward rebuilding its institutions and fighting gangs to restore safety. This month, newly-appointed prime minister Garry Conille announced the formation of a new transitional government. And this week Kenyan forces finally arrived in the country to help local police fight gangs.

So far, 400 officials from the African country have reached Haiti. The figure is expected to climb to 1,000, while additional forces from other seven countries (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Benin and Chad) are set to take it to 2,500. Most of the funding is coming from the U.S., with Canada and France also contributing with funding and training.