DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said allowing Haitians to stay in the country was against the “national interest.” The Trump administration announced an end to temporary legal protections for Haitian migrants in the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of deportation.

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.

The TPS program allows immigrants from designated countries to stay in the US with legal work authorization for up to 18 months when circumstances like armed conflict and natural disasters prevent a safe return. Noem said the environmental situation in Haiti had improved enough to end the TPS designation.