SPOKANE, Wash. – Haitian migrants in the United States were expecting their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to end this week, but a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from doing so.
The court ruling on Monday night allows Haitians with TPS to remain in the U.S. legally. Their protected status was initially set to expire on Tuesday, February 3. Homeland Security had previously terminated these protections last summer, citing improved conditions in Haiti.
First Presbyterian Church in Spokane held a night of prayer in solidarity with Haitians. One attendee expressed concern, saying, “I’m worried for my kids because I have black kids, I have brown kids, I’m worried for myself.”
The U.S. District Judge issued the ruling to allow a separate lawsuit challenging the termination to proceed. The judge noted it was “substantially likely” that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision was influenced by a bias against non-white immigrants.
Temporary Protected Status, authorized by Congress in 1990, prevents deportation and provides work authorization for individuals whose homelands are deemed unsafe.
