Hurricane Matthew's devastation of Haiti has prompted the US government to temporarily suspend its recent decision to resume deportations of undocumented Haitians, US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Tuesday.

The United States stopped deporting Haitians to their country as a humanitarian measure following the 2010 earthquake that killed 220,000 in the Caribbean nation.

But after thousands began to arrive at the US-Mexico border in recent months, Johnson announced last month that Haitians would again be treated like other migrants who entered the US illegally.