Obama Designates Haiti for TPS After Earthquake Kills 200,000

President Obama designated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status on January 21, 2010, ten days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed between 200,000 and 300,000 people and displaced 1.5 million. The designation allowed Haitian nationals already present in the United States to obtain legal status and work authorization. The designation was extended repeatedly through subsequent administrations due to ongoing political instability, cholera outbreaks, and a second major earthquake in 2021, eventually covering approximately 59,000 people.