Federal Judge Blocks Early Termination of TPS for 500,000 Haitians

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's effort to prematurely terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants in the U.S., ruling that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted unlawfully by not following the procedural and timeline requirements mandated by Congress. The judge emphasized that the current TPS designation for Haitians is set to expire on February 3, 2026, and that Noem’s attempt to move the expiration up to September 2, 2025, could cause irreparable harm to those affected, including disrupting their education, employment, and medical treatment. The ruling highlighted the severe challenges Haitians would face if forced to return to Haiti on short notice, such as arranging housing, jobs, medical care, and protecting their U.S.-citizen children from dangerous conditions. The court found that Noem lacked statutory authority to partially vacate a country’s TPS designation and that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their case. Despite the Department of Homeland Security's statement that TPS was not intended as a de facto asylum program, the judge ruled that the interests of Haitian immigrants to live and work in the U.S. far outweigh any potential harm to the government. The administration retains the authority to end TPS through proper legislative processes, but must comply with the law's required procedures.