A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from ending protections for roughly 350,000 Haitians living in the United States, issuing an injunction that pauses the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) while a legal challenge proceeds.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington ruled that the termination, which had been scheduled to take effect Tuesday, “shall be null, void, and of no legal effect” during the ongoing lawsuit. The order preserves recipients’ ability to work legally and shields them from arrest or deportation.
Reyes, in an 83-page opinion, found that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their case and noted it was “substantially likely” that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made her decision with bias against nonwhite immigrants. The judge emphasized that while the TPS statute grants some discretion, Noem does not have “unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants.”
TPS allows foreign nationals to remain in the United States temporarily when conditions in their home countries make returning dangerous because of armed conflict, natural disasters, or other crises. Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 following a catastrophic earthquake and has maintained the status through subsequent renewals amid ongoing political instability, gang violence, and natural disasters.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin criticized the ruling, denouncing it as “lawless activism.” She explained, “Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago. It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.” The administration has indicated it plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
The ruling offers temporary relief to Haitians nationwide, including communities in Springfield, Ohio and South Florida, where uncertainty over the status had heightened concerns about family separation and economic stability. While the decision does not resolve the broader legal dispute, it ensures that TPS recipients can continue living and working in the United States during the court proceedings.
