The administration of Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court of the United States to allow the revocation of legal protections for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States, a move that could expose them to deportation.
On Wednesday, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency request asking the justices to block a lower court ruling that prevented the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
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TPS is granted to individuals from countries facing severe conditions such as natural disasters, armed conflict, or political instability. The program allows eligible migrants to live and work legally in the United States while protecting them from deportation for limited periods that are periodically renewed.
Legal Battle Over TPS
The administration’s appeal comes after a federal judge ruled that the effort to terminate TPS for Haitians likely violated proper procedures and constitutional protections. The decision temporarily blocked the government from ending the status while the case moves through the courts.
In the filing to the Supreme Court, Sauer argued that the lower court’s decision undermines the government’s authority over immigration policy and harms U.S. national interests and foreign relations. He also noted that TPS is intended to be a temporary measure and pointed out that Haiti has held the designation since 2010.
The Supreme Court has asked attorneys representing Haitian TPS holders to respond to the request by Monday before deciding whether to intervene.
Origins of Haiti’s TPS Designation
Haiti was first granted TPS following the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country and killed more than 200,000 people. The status has been repeatedly extended due to ongoing crises, including political instability, gang violence, and the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Haitian migrants who sued the administration argue that ending the protections fails to consider the country’s worsening humanitarian situation, including widespread violence and a collapse of state authority in many areas.
Broader Immigration Crackdown
The request is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back immigration protections as it pushes forward with large-scale deportation policies. The government has sought to terminate TPS protections for several countries, including Syria and Venezuela.
At the start of the president’s second term, 17 countries were designated under TPS. According to administration actions so far, the protections have been revoked for 13 of those nations, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The remaining countries whose TPS designations are set to expire this year without extension include El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan, and Ukraine.
If the Supreme Court grants the administration’s request, hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have lived and worked legally in the United States for years could face the possibility of deportation while the legal battle continues.
