The Trump administration is targeting deportation of individuals with alleged ties to a Haitian gang, even if they are living in the United States legally. The gang, Viv Ansanm, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization and has been identified by U.S. officials as a leading contributor to violence and criminal activity in Haiti.
Officials say the group plays a central role in destabilizing parts of Haiti, with operations that extend into diaspora communities.
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Immigration enforcement policy changes
The State Department said Monday, July 21, that it has identified lawful permanent residents in the U.S. who are believed to support or work alongside Haitian gang leaders. The terrorism designation gives the Department of Homeland Security the power, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, to remove those individuals from the country.
“These new actions demonstrate the Trump administration’s firm commitment to protecting the American people, advancing our national security interests, and promoting regional security and stability,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Days before the announcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Pierre Reginald Boulos in Miami, Florida. Boulos, a Haitian citizen and lawful permanent resident of the U.S., is accused of supporting gang activity and contributing to political instability in Haiti.
Boulos was born in the United States but renounced his citizenship to run for president in Haiti, according to The Associated Press. He regained permanent residency in the U.S. last year.
ICE said a federal investigation linked Boulos to acts of violence and efforts to assist Haitian gangs. Investigators also allege that he withheld key information when applying for U.S. residency, including his role in founding the Haitian political party Mouvement pour la Transformation et la Valorisation d’Haiti, as well as a referral for prosecution by Haiti’s anti-corruption agency for misusing loan funds.
Boulos has previously denied corruption allegations, the AP reported.
Widespread violence consuming Haiti
Gang violence has surged in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The United Nations estimates that armed groups control about 85% of Port-au-Prince, the capital city.
The unrest has forced more than 1.3 million Haitians from their homes, the highest number of internal displacements tied to political conflict in the country’s history. As violence spreads, so does hunger. Haiti is now one of just five nations facing famine-like conditions, with displaced communities hit hardest.
From October 2024 to June 2025, gang violence in Haiti left 4,864 people dead, according to the U.N. In that same period, hundreds more were wounded, kidnapped, sexually assaulted or trafficked as the country’s security crisis deepened.
By early 2025, the crisis had reached parts of the country once considered safe. In the Artibonite and Centre departments alone, nearly 240,000 people have been uprooted – 92,000 in Artibonite and 147,000 in Centre.
The U.N. also says that gangs are expanding operations toward the border with the Dominican Republic, aiming to control strategic roadways linked to illegal arms trafficking.
Deportation protections removed for some
The effort to remove some Haitians living legally in the United States comes amid the Trump administration’s attempts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians. A federal appeals court on Monday approved the change in status for an estimated 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians.
The administration first announced plans in April to end TPS for both groups, arguing that conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer justified the protections.
Immigrant advocacy group CASA challenged the move, filing suit against the Department of Homeland Security. In response, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused the policy, but that stay expired Monday.
