New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he has personally urged President Donald Trump to restore Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants after the federal government ended the humanitarian program, forcing the city to terminate employees who lost their legal authorization to work.
Recently speaking, Mamdani revealed that he raised the issue directly with President Trump during a recent phone conversation, appealing for the administration to reinstate protections for Haitians living and working in the United States. He argued that ending TPS has placed thousands of families at risk of deportation and disrupted the lives of long-term residents who have contributed to their communities.
- Advertisement -
The mayor’s comments came days after New York City announced it had been forced to dismiss municipal employees who lost their work authorization following the expiration of Haiti’s TPS designation. City Hall said it had no legal authority to continue employing workers who were no longer authorized to work under federal immigration law.
Mamdani criticized the administration’s decision to end TPS for Haiti, noting that the country continues to face severe gang violence, political instability and a worsening humanitarian crisis. He said returning Haitian nationals under these conditions would place many lives at risk and called for the restoration of humanitarian protections.
While acknowledging that immigration policy is controlled by the federal government, the mayor said New York City will continue providing legal assistance and other support services to affected immigrants. He reaffirmed the city’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities within the limits of municipal law.
The Trump administration ended Haiti’s TPS designation after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the policy to take effect. The decision affects more than 300,000 Haitian nationals who had been living and working legally in the United States under the humanitarian program.
Immigrant advocacy groups have continued pressing the administration and Congress to restore protections, arguing that Haiti remains unsafe because of widespread violence, economic hardship and political turmoil. The issue has become a focal point in the broader national debate over immigration policy and humanitarian relief.
