A coalition of 21 attorneys general has filed a legal brief in support of Temporary Protected Status for thousands of Haitian immigrants currently in the U.S., writing that “terminating TPS for Haiti would strip these community members of legal authorization to work and could result in their removal to a country that is unsafe and unprepared to reintegrate them.”
While the Trump administration, led by White House aide and noted white supremacist Stephen Miller, sought to bring protections for as many as 50,000 Haitians to an end last year, that move was blocked by court action. With litigation around the termination currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, the attorneys general are continuing to call on the courts to defend these families.
“Terminating TPS for Haitians will force hardworking families to make agonizing choices between leaving the United States alone or taking their children to a country that is unfamiliar to the children and where their safety is uncertain," a statement from coalition co-leads California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey reads. “If these families are torn apart, children will be traumatized, and state foster care systems will be burdened.”
“Further, in the brief, the coalition sets forth why DHS’ explanations for terminating TPS are pretextual and notes that the district court properly concluded that the decision to terminate TPS for Haiti likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act,” the statement continues. Relatedly, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada this month called on the Homeland Security inspector general to open an investigation into the administration’s decision, also citing the Administrative Procedure Act and pointing to “allegations of improper political interference” in decision-making.
“More than 4,000 individuals with TPS status live in Nevada, raising families, working legally, paying taxes, and contributing to our communities,” Rosen said in a statement. “These families have built their lives in Nevada and the United States, some for more than two decades.” While what these families ultimately need is permanent protections, keeping TPS in place is essential in preventing what would be yet another Trump-induced family separation crisis.
“TPS protects people who are our neighbors, healthcare providers, teachers, and so much more,” Becerra said in the attorney generals’ statement. “When the Trump administration attacks TPS, it’s attacking the well-being of communities across the country—threatening to tear families apart in the process. We’ve stood up and won on this issue before and we’ll continue to fight for the rights of those living in the United States.”