The United States has resumed the deportation of Haitian nationals with a criminal record.
Deportations were suspended after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti last January.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 27 Haitians in the United States had been returned to their homeland. They were the first of about 700 classified as "criminal aliens".
The BBC reports human rights groups have criticised the move, saying people face inhumane conditions on their return.
But US officials said they pose a threat to public safety in America.
Immigration officials have said previously that they will deport only those who have been convicted of crimes and finished serving their sentences.
