James Battles to Save Haitian Immigrants from Deportation Threat

New York – The State’s Attorney General Letitia James stands firm in her battle against the Trump administration’s attempt to strip thousands of Haitian immigrants of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. AG James, joined by a coalition of 18 other attorneys general, has filed an amicus brief arguing that terminating TPS for Haitians would leave them vulnerable and destabilize local economies.

“Revoking Haitians’ legal immigration status is cruel and dangerous,” said Attorney General James. “They have contributed immensely to our communities, and without them, New York and this nation would not be the same.”

The TPS program, implemented following a devastating earthquake in 2010, offers temporary protection for immigrants from countries facing extraordinary conditions that prevent safe return home. Despite ongoing humanitarian crises in Haiti, the Trump administration has sought to end TPS protections for Haitians who have been living in the U.S. since 2011.

In their amicus brief, filed in Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association v. Donald J. Trump, the coalition asserts that the termination of TPS for Haitians was made without considering the perilous conditions in their home country and would upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of TPS holders and their families.

New York is home to approximately 56,800 TPS holders, including more than 5,400 Haitian TPS holders in New York City. In 2023, these households contributed $2.3 billion in income, paid over $300 million in state and local taxes, and added $1.6 billion in spending power.

Attorney General James and the coalition further argue that families of Haitian TPS holders would suffer severe hardship if changes to the program are not postponed. They face the harrowing choice of returning alone to Haiti, taking their family members into a dangerous unknown, or staying in the U.S. without legal status.