The Department of Homeland Security is ending Temporary Protected Status for nearly 350,000 Haitians living in the United States as of Sept. 2. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the TPS status for Haiti ends on Aug.

The Trump administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for over half-a-million Haitians living in the United States has sent shock waves throughout South Florida, the beating heart of the Haitian community in the United States.

According to a DHS release, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “determined that conditions in Haiti no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements,” after concluding that conditions in the country have improved sufficiently for Haitians in the U.S. to return. The DHS plans to terminate the designation effective on Sept. 2.