A federal judge on Monday blocked the US government from revoking legal protections for Haitians enrolled in the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, granting a last-minute reprieve to an estimated 350,000 immigrants who were set to lose their deportation protections on Tuesday.
US District Court Judge Ana Reyes indefinitely paused the planned termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, explicitly barring the federal government from invalidating the legal status and work permits of active enrollees, as well as from arresting and deporting them.
In an opinion accompanying her order, Reyes sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end the TPS policy for Haitians. The judge concluded that Noem’s action was “arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.
Reyes wrote that the decision failed to adequately consider “overwhelming evidence of present danger” in Haiti, a country facing ongoing political instability, rampant gang violence, and widespread poverty.
The judge also found that Noem’s decision was “in part” rooted in “racial animus,” citing disparaging remarks that have been made about Haiti and immigrants.
In response, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the Trump administration is considering asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the case.
The blocked termination would have had a significant impact on communities such as South Florida, which is home to tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants who rely on TPS to live and work legally in the United States.
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