NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of 18 attorneys general in the United States defending the legal status of over 250 000 Haitian immigrants who fled the situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and are now under threat of being deported from the United States.
In an amicus brief filed in a case brought by a group of Haitian immigrants in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the coalition argues that the Trump administration’s moves to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from Haitian immigrants are illegal.
They said it will also endanger hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country and are asking the court to grant the plaintiffs’ request to postpone the termination of TPS.
“Haitian immigrants are a valuable part of our communities and local economies, helping make New York and this nation what they are today,” James told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“This administration’s attempt to revoke their legal status would put hundreds of thousands of people in danger and threaten to tear apart families. I will continue to fight to protect TPS so Haitians who came to our country to build a better life can continue to pursue the American dream,” she vowed.
Following a devastating earthquake in 2010, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated Haiti for TPS protection and extended this protection in the years since, most recently in 2024.
Despite unsafe conditions and political instability in Haiti, James said the Trump administration has moved to end protections for TPS holders, jeopardising the safety of over 250 000 Haitian immigrants, including at least 56 000 living in New York.
The New York Attorney General said as of 2022, more than 200 000 US citizens, including about 87 000 children, were living with a Haitian TPS holder and that revoking TPS from Haitian immigrants “puts hundreds of thousands of families like these in an impossible position.
“Parents with TPS would be forced to either leave their children behind and return to Haiti, take their US citizen children with them to an unfamiliar and dangerous country, or remain in the US without authorisation and subject their family to continuous fear and uncertainty.”
The coalition says terminating TPS would inflict “significant harm on communities throughout the country, jeopardising local economies, public health, and public safety.
“Haitians are critical members of New York’s workforce, filling essential roles in health care, education, construction, and other industries,” they argue, stating that TPS-eligible Haitians contribute US$4.4 billion annually to the US economy, and that ending their legal status would revoke their work permits, harming local economies and making it harder for families to make ends meet.
The coalition says that ending work authorisations would also deprive many of these families of their access to health insurance, making it harder for vulnerable people to get care and increasing public health risks.
“Fears of deportation and family separation would dissuade Haitian immigrants from reporting crimes, serving as witnesses, and interacting with law enforcement.
“Children living with Haitian TPS-holders would be more likely to miss school and suffer trauma from living in fear of having a parent deported,” they add, arguing that the administration’s actions to terminate TPS are “arbitrary, discriminatory, and unconstitutional.”
They are urging the court to grant the plaintiffs’ motion to stay the termination of TPS for Haitians. (CMC)
The post US attorneys general defend legal status of Haitian immigrants appeared first on nationnews.com.
