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Miami Herald
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
U.S. restores Haitian TPS protections, work permits until early February after court ruling
Tens of thousands of Haitians living and working in the United States with temporary protections from deportation will now be allowed to remain until at least February 2026 with employment authorization, according to the Department of Homeland Security website. The restoration of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, designation comes after a New York federal judge earlier this month blocked the Trump administration's efforts to shave six months off of the protections, which are usually for 18 months. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, ruling in a suit against the Trump administration's decision to prematurely end Haitians' TPS status and their work permits, had found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she rolled back the timeline. The TPS designation— originally set by the Biden administration to end on Feb. 3, 2026 after being extended for Haiti — had allowed up to more than a half-million Haitian nationals to shield themselves from deportation and against losing their work permits. In his ruling, Cogan also partly denied the administration's motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Haitian immigrants with TPS, a labor union and a clergy group with TPS beneficiaries. 'It is a victory,' said Ira Kurzban, one of the lawyers in the lawsuit. 'We are pleased that the Court, as have many others, stopped the administration from engaging in unlawful and vicious actions against immigrants.' Administration 'vehemently disagrees' It's not immediately clear if the Trump administration would attempt to appeal the decision. In an alert posted Friday on its website, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services noted that Haiti's TPS designation and related benefits were slated to terminate on Sept. 2, 2025 but on July 15, 'a single judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a final judgment' in a lawsuit. 'The Department of Homeland Security vehemently disagrees with this ruling and is working to determine next steps,' immigration services said in the alert. The restoration follows several efforts by the Trump administration to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including more than 200,000 Haitians who entered the U.S. under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program. Last week during a visit to Washington by Haiti Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the uncertain status of Haitians in the U.S. — and more support for a Kenya-led multinational security support force fighting armed gangs were among the concerns raised in meetings with the State Department and congressional lawmakers. In late June, Noem determined that Haiti no longer meets the conditions for its TPS designation and announced the end of the country's designation once the current status ends. The decision, USCIS said, was taken 'after reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies.' TPS designations have historically been given to countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions. The United Nations is warning that hunger continues to deepen across Haiti. The food crisis is compounded by ongoing violence, which is disrupting local food production in areas such as the community of Kenscoff in the hills above Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite, Haiti's breadbasket. With more than 5.7 million Haitians experiencing hunger, including famine-like conditions, and Haitians increasingly being targeted by armed gangs, the county is a textbook case for TPS designation, immigration and Haitian advocates have argued. On Saturday, they welcomed the announcement but stressed that it was a court-imposed victory and they vowed to continue fight the effort by the Trump administration to end TPS for Haitians. 'This is not just a policy decision—it is a hard-fought legal victory for the Haitian community and all who have stood in defense of our immigrant families,' Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-FL, said in a Saturday statement following the administration's confirmation that it will comply with a federal court order halting deportations until at least February. 'The court's ruling makes clear what we have always known: TPS holders deserve stability, protection, and respect, not political games or legal uncertainty.' McCormick said Haitian TPS holders who were wrongfully fired due to confusion around work permits must be reinstated immediately. 'These individuals are essential workers, caregivers and taxpayers, and they deserve justice. 'Let's be clear: this is the enforcement of the law. Our communities should not have to rely on court orders to be treated with dignity. A stronger path forward begins at home, with permanent protections and immigration reform that centers humanity, not politics,' she said. Revoking TPS 'unconscionable' Her sentiments were echoes by the Family Action Network Movement, a Haitian rights groups in Miami. 'We are relieved that the Administration finally acknowledged the correct end-date of Haiti's current TPS designation,' said Paul Christian Namphy, political director of FANM. 'We are encouraged that the court recognized the dire conditions that Haitians threatened with deportation would face upon arrival in Haiti.' Sending back TPS holders 'to a country mired in gang violence, political instability and humanitarian crisis would be unconscionable,' the group added. With more than 4,000 Haitians already killed this year and armed gangs expanding to other regions of the country, Haitians face a dire situation marked by widespread violence, rape, kidnapping, armed robbery, lack of access to basic resources and governmental collapse. Just this week, scores of residents in Marchand Dessalines, a rural community in the Artibonite region, were forced out of their beds by armed gangs who invaded the community and set fire to the local police station before they were repelled by a self-defense group. On Friday, the United Nations said that as of last month, there were nearly 250 active displacement sites across Haiti, housing many of the more than 1.3 million now displaced because of gangs. 'The vast majority are informal sites— with just over a fifth managed by humanitarian organizations, in collaboration with local authorities. This means that many families are living in precarious conditions,' U.N. Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said. 'Since the beginning of the year, the U.N. and its partners have provided support to more than 113,000 displaced people, including essential services such as water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare. Nearly 1.3 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti— the highest number ever recorded in the country due to violence,' he added during a press briefing. Haq said that in June alone, more than 200 alerts were reported across displacement sites including reports about a lack of food, water, shelter or healthcare. FANM said that the court's decision provides a crucial, if temporary, reprieve for the more than 500,000 Haitians and their families who depend on TPS to remain safely in the United States and can legally work. The group called on the administration and the courts to respect immigrant protections from deportation, and said it remains committed to advocate with Congress for comprehensive immigration reform solutions which include a path to residency and citizenship for long-term TPS holders. 'Immigrants who have lived, worked, paid their taxes and taken care of their families and contributed in meaningful ways to their communities and to society for decades, deserve long-term protections and permanent status,' FANM said.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge blocks Trump administration from speeding end of protections for Haitians
A federal judge in New York blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for Haitians ahead of the date set under the Biden administration, the latest blow to efforts from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end the legal status. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Cogan ruled Noem could not issue a 'partial vacatur' of a decision by her predecessor that gave Haitians Temporary Protected Status (TPS) until February of next year. In February, Noem signed an order seeking to advance that date, moving to end protections for Haitians this August. 'Plaintiffs' injuries far outweigh any harm to the Government from a postponement. Without a postponement, plaintiffs face the termination of Haiti's TPS designation on September 2, 2025 and the subsequent loss of their legal right to live and work in the United States, despite this Court's finding that Secretary Noem's partial vacatur of Haiti's TPS designation was unlawful,' Cogan wrote. Roughly 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S. have TPS. Noem has also sought to end TPS protections for other countries such as Venezuela and Afghanistan. The Supreme Court in May agreed to lift a lower court ruling that blocked Noem's efforts to end TPS for Venezuela. But amid a series of court rulings questioning the validity of her efforts to vacate designations made under the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun following the notice and comment rulemaking process required for terminating TPS designations. That process requires the agency to consider the safety of the country in lifting protections from deportation to those from countries experiencing natural disasters or civil unrest. Last week, Noem formally moved to end TPS protections for Haitians for this September. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' the DHS said in a release, noting that Haiti was first designated for TPS due to a devastating earthquake. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home. We encourage these individuals to take advantage of the Department's resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the CBP Home app. Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible.' However, the State Department still lists Haiti as a 'Level 4: Do Not Travel' country due to kidnapping, crime and civil unrest. Under the Biden administration, the DHS cited a wide variety of dangerous conditions in Haiti, including as recently as last year. 'Haiti continues to experience simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises. Haitian gangs are the primary source of violence and instability in Haiti and pose an increasing threat as they continue to escalate and expand their influence and geographic presence…Since early March 2024, the gangs have also attacked the capital's primary airport and major port terminals, and blocked roads to access the city. An ongoing political impasse has left Haiti without a functioning democratically elected national government and hindered Haiti's ability to respond to the gang-driven violence,' the Biden administration wrote in extending the TPS designation for Haiti. 'At the same time, Haiti struggles through a humanitarian crisis, with many citizens having limited access to safety, healthcare, food, water, and economic opportunity.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for many Haitians
The seal of U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seen before the news conference with Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons at ICE Headquarters, in Washington, on May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for more than 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in New York ruled that moving up the expiration of the temporary protected status, or TPS, by at least five months for Haitians, some of whom have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, is unlawful. The Biden administration had extended Haiti's TPS status through at least Feb. 3, 2026, due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021 and several other factors, according to court documents. But last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was terminating those legal protections as soon as Sept. 2, setting Haitians up for potential deportation. The department said the conditions in the country had improved and Haitians no longer met the conditions for the temporary legal protections. The ruling comes as U.S. President Donald Trump works to end protections and programs for immigrants as part of his mass deportations promises. The judge's 23-page opinion states that the Department of Homeland Security 's move to terminate the legal protections early violates the TPS statute that requires a certain amount of notice before reconsidering a designation. 'When the Government confers a benefit over a fixed period of time, a beneficiary can reasonably expect to receive that benefit at least until the end of that fixed period,' according to the ruling. The judge also referenced the fact that the plaintiffs have started jobs, enrolled in schools and begun receiving medical treatment with the expectations that the country's TPS designation would run through the end of the year. Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the Trump administration would eventually prevail and that its predecessors treated TPS like a 'de facto asylum program.' 'The Trump administration is restoring integrity to our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe, and we expect a higher court to vindicate us in this. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side,' McLaughlin said. Manny Pastreich, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which filed the lawsuit, described the ruling as an 'important step' but said the fight is not over. 'We will keep fighting to make sure this decision is upheld,' Pastreich said in a statement. 'We will keep fighting for the rights of our members and all immigrants against the Trump Administration – in the streets, in the workplace, and in the courts as well. And when we fight, we win.' DHS did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment. But the government had argued that TPS is a temporary program and thus 'the termination of a country's TPS designation is a possibility beneficiaries must always expect.' Haiti's TPS status was initially activated in 2010 after the catastrophic earthquake and has been extended multiple times, according to the lawsuit. Gang violence has displaced 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle with the spiraling crisis, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration. There has been a 24 per cent increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen having chased 11 per cent of Haiti's nearly 12 million inhabitants from their home, the report said. In May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip Temporary Protected Status from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation. The order put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept the legal protections in place. The judge's decision in New York also comes on the heels of the Trump administration revoking legal protections for thousands of Haitians who arrived legally in the U.S. through a humanitarian parole program. The Associated Press
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Judge blocks Trump from ending temporary protected status for Haitians
A federal court on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from cutting short the temporary protected status designation for Haiti, days after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced the designation preventing some Haitian immigrants from being deported would end in September. New York Eastern District Judge Brian M. Cogan, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that Noem's decision was unlawful and ordered that the designation remain in place until its scheduled end date of Feb. 3. Noem had initially moved to shorten the designation period in February. About 520,000 people from Haiti living in the United States are eligible for the protected status and about 350,000 have been granted it, according to DHS.
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for many Haitians
NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for more than 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in New York ruled that moving up the expiration of the temporary protected status, or TPS , by at least five months for Haitians, some of whom have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, is unlawful.
