**Trump Administration Eyes Major Changes to Immigration Program for Vulnerable Nations**

President-elect Donald J. Trump is gearing up to implement a sweeping immigration overhaul, specifically targeting a program that currently provides temporary legal status to roughly one million people from nations in turmoil. Known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), this program was designed to offer refuge to those who can’t safely return to their home countries due to disasters or conflicts.

Among the potential changes, approximately 200,000 Haitians could be significantly affected. Haiti’s ongoing instability, exacerbated by the 2021 assassination of its president and rampant gang violence, has made safe return more fraught than ever. Mr. Trump has recently threatened to terminate TPS for Haitians, bolstered by circulating unfounded rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were engaged in criminal activities.

TPS extends protection predominantly to nationals from trouble-prone countries, including Venezuela, where political and economic crises have dislodged millions. El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Ukraine have also been included in the program's scope, some for over two decades.

Key figures in Trump's envisioned administration highlight a distinct hardline stance. Former ICE chief Thomas Homan is set to manage border policy; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been tapped to oversee the Department of Homeland Security. Furthermore, Stephen Miller, known for his stringent immigration policies during Trump’s previous term, is anticipated to serve as White House deputy chief of staff.

The debate around TPS centers on how long temporary relief should last, with critics arguing that it has all but granted indefinite residency to its beneficiaries. The Biden administration currently maintains or has renewed TPS for 16 nations, seeing the program as a critical humanitarian tool in the face of increasing global instability.

Fear and uncertainty now grip many TPS holders who face the prospect of returning to hazardous environments. Lesly Joseph, a Haitian dentist, expressed deep anxiety over potentially losing his TPS, a status that has allowed him to work and live safely in the U.S. since fleeing gang threats in Haiti. For immigrants like Joseph, the end of TPS would mean losing their jobs and potentially facing life-threatening dangers if forced to return home.