WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it has ended a temporary residency permit program that has allowed almost 60,000 citizens from Haiti to live and work in the United States since a powerful earthquake shook the Caribbean nation in 2010.

The Homeland Security Department says conditions in Haiti have improved significantly, so the benefit will be extended one last time — until July 2019 — to give Haitians time to prepare to return home.

Advocates for Haitians quickly criticized the decision, arguing the conditions in the island nation haven't improved nearly enough for Haitians to be deported.

While Haiti has made advances spurred by international aid since the quake, it remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Roughly a quarter of the population lives on less than $1.23 a day.

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