No Borders NewsNew York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition of 19 other attorneys general to urge Congress to act to protect people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. In a letter to Congressional leaders, the attorneys general asked lawmakers to extend TPS for Haitians facing deportation and to create a way for courts to review TPS decisions.
The letter points to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending TPS for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants. The same ruling also limited court review of certain challenges to TPS terminations, which the coalition says makes it much harder for affected people to contest removals.
The attorneys general warn that the decision threatens nearly 350,000 Haitians who have lived and worked in the United States for years, including many in New York. They argue that TPS was designed to protect people who cannot safely return to their home country, and they say conditions in Haiti continue to meet that purpose.
The coalition also describes the potential ripple effects of ending TPS. They say Haitian TPS recipients contribute to communities and the economy, including in health care jobs, and that revoking TPS could disrupt families that have built their lives in the U.S.
The letter notes that the House has already passed a bill to extend TPS for Haitians, and the coalition is urging the Senate to take up similar legislation. It also calls for changes that would allow judicial oversight of TPS decisions and potentially provide pathways to legal residency for TPS holders.