July 3, 2025
Approximately 500,000 Haitian immigrants are currently residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status.
A federal judge in New York blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for more than 500,000 Haitians already living in the United States. Judge Brian M. Cogan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that moving up the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by at least five months for Haitians is unlawful.
The Biden administration extended Haiti’s TPS status at least until Feb. 3, 2026, citing ongoing gang violence, political unrest, and food insecurity in the country.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last week that it would terminate those legal protections as soon as Sept. 2, which could lead to potential deportation for several Haitians, some of whom have been in the United States for nearly a decade.
“This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is temporary,” said a DHS spokesperson in a statement. “The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.”
According to the United Nations (UN), as of June 2025, ongoing gang violence has displaced approximately 1.3 million Haitians, representing a 24 percent increase in displaced people since December 2024.
In the June 1 ruling, Cogan stated that the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to terminate the legal protections prematurely violates the TPS statute.
“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,” the ruling said.
The judge also emphasized that immigrants have started jobs, enrolled in school, and are receiving medical care, with the expectation that the country’s TPS designation will stay in effect until the end of the year.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ filed the lawsuit, saying that the organization remains committed to advocating for its members.
“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,” Manny Pastreich, SEIU President, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.
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