People in Haiti continue to rebuild and re-establish their daily routines Jan. 13, 2015, following the five-year anniversary of the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Jan. 12, 2010, destroying buildings and killing as many as 316,000 people. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Trump administration announced Monday that 59,000 displaced Haitian earthquake victims who have been living in the United States under temporary status must leave the country within 18 months.


Where does the administration expect them to go?

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 3o,000 Haitians affected by the order live in Florida; another large number live in New York City.


Many of the Haitians entered the country illegally in 2010 after a powerful earthquake devastated their island, which was already considered one of the poorest places in the Western Hemisphere. They were protected against deportation under Temporary Protected Status, a program created by Congress during the 1990s that helped prevent large numbers of people from being sent back to areas that were suffering from wars or natural disasters.

John Kelly, while still the secretary of homeland security in May, said that the conditions in Haiti had improved to the point that the U.S. would not likely continue extending the temporary protection. He extended Haitian protected status for an additional six months, but simultaneously urged them to prepare to leave the U.S.

Where are they supposed to go?

On Monday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke affirmed that Haitians would still be required to leave, but said the order would not be effective until July 22, 2019.


If Haitians covered until temporary protection are able to show that they have other legal claims to remain in the United States under immigrant status, they will be allowed to stay, administration officials said.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.