US Resumes Haiti Deportations After Pause for Hurricane Matthew

Flights to return illegal immigrants from Haiti back to their homeland have resumed following a brief pause after Hurricane Matthew tore through the Caribbean, US Department of Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson announced in a statement on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Removal flights from the United States to Haiti have now resumed.

"In the last several weeks ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has removed over 200 Haitian nationals and plans to significantly expand removal operations in the coming weeks," Johnson said.

Haitian nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), who have continuously resided in the United States since January 12, 2011, are not affected by the latest deportations because TPS has been extended until July 22, 2017, the statement explained.

Individuals with TPS are also authorized to work in the United States, according to the statement.

Johnson noted that deportation flights to Haiti were temporarily suspended after Hurricane Matthew struck the Caribbean nation on October 1.