US Judge Temporarily Halts the Removal of Deportation Protections for Haitian Migrants

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end deportation protections for over 350,000 Haitian immigrants living and working in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The ruling came just a day before the TPS designation was set to expire. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said the Department of Homeland Security’s decision lacked sufficient legal support. She also suggested the move may have been influenced by hostility toward nonwhite immigrants.

The administration argued that TPS programs encourage illegal immigration and have been repeatedly extended, but TPS is intended to protect migrants from deportation to countries considered unsafe due to natural disasters, conflict, or other crises.

In an 83-page decision, Reyes denied the government’s request to dismiss the lawsuit and allowed the plaintiffs’ request to maintain their deportation protections while the case proceeds in court. The plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. Reyes also cited offensive remarks by Secretary Noem, noting the individuals involved “are not… ‘killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.’”

Haiti was first designated for TPS following the devastating 2010 earthquake, and the status has been extended multiple times, most recently in 2021. The Trump administration has argued that TPS for Haitians has effectively become permanent residency, straying from Congress’ original purpose for the program.

The administration has also sought to end most TPS programs, which could affect hundreds of thousands of migrants from countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela.

In addition, deportation protections for roughly 2,500 Somali nationals are set to end on March 17, meaning they will lose their work authorisations and legal status, making them eligible for removal.