WASHINGTON,USA, Thursday Nov.24, 2016 (CARIBBEAN360)  – The United States government has restarted deporting Haitian immigrants and says it will pick up the pace in weeks to come.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement yesterday that more than 200 Haitian nationals had been deported in recent weeks.

“Recently, we have seen an increase in the numbers of those apprehended on the southern border. I have instructed our border security and immigration enforcement personnel to take steps to keep pace with this increase,” he said.

Johnson added that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement “plans to significantly expand removal operations in the coming weeks.”

Haitians currently covered by Temporary Protected Status will not be affected by the resumption of deportations, and it has been suggested that they speak with a deportation lawyer who may be able to help them with their case.

Deportations were halted to Haiti for most immigrants after the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people and severely damaged the country’s infrastructure.

But Johnson announced the decision to detain and deport newly arriving Haitians in September. The deportation flights were then temporarily suspended after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti on October 4 as a Category 4 hurricane, devastating the southwest of the country.