New York Attorney General Letitia James has co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general opposing an effort by the former Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants. TPS is intended to prevent the deportation of individuals to countries experiencing severe crises. A legal filing referenced by Attorney General's office states that ending this protection could place Haitian nationals at risk and disrupt communities nationwide, including more than 5,400 TPS holders residing in New York City.
The coalition filed an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, aiming to support a thorough and timely evaluation of the circumstances facing Haitian immigrants. "Revoking Haitians’ legal immigration status that has kept them safe with their families in the U.S. is cruel and dangerous," James stated in the press release, pinning their integral role in multiple sectors such as healthcare and education. The Trump administration's push to terminate TPS would drastically reduce the time Haitian TPS holders have to legally stay in the U.S. with work authorization and, more pressingly, expose them to deportation risks.
The ongoing humanitarian crises in Haiti, intensified by the 2010 earthquake and continued political instability, have significantly shaped the need for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Since TPS was granted to Haitians in 2010, their presence has become closely integrated into New York’s socio-economic landscape. Members of the Haitian TPS community are active in key industries and contributed notably to the economy in 2023, generating $2.3 billion in income and paying hundreds of millions in taxes.
The attorneys general contend that ending TPS would not only negatively impact state economies but also place significant hardship on Haitian families. Such a move could compel parents with TPS to choose between returning to Haiti alone, bringing their families to an unstable environment, or remaining in the U.S. without legal status, facing the risk of deportation. This action builds on Attorney General Letitia James' ongoing efforts to support immigrant communities. Just last month, she co-led a coalition opposing a similar attempt to revoke TPS for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants—a move the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California blocked, in part based on an amicus brief co-led by James.
The effort led by Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 18 other attorneys general, reflects a shared recognition among multiple states of the importance of TPS holders. The coalition includes officials from states such as California, Connecticut, and Delaware, among others, all acknowledging the significant contributions of Haitian immigrants to communities across the country. The initiative to preserve these protections emphasizes that immigration policy should address both economic impacts and the broader humanitarian considerations involved.
