Overview:
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians just one day before the program was set to expire. The ruling preserves deportation protections for more than 350,000 people while litigation continues, as the court questions whether federal officials adequately considered Haiti’s escalating violence and humanitarian crisis.
Editor’s notes: This is a developing story. It will be updated regularly as new information becomes available.
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, preserving deportation protections for more than 350,000 people just one day before the program was set to expire.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes in Washington, D.C., halts the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to terminate TPS for Haitian nationals on Feb. 3 while litigation continues. The decision comes after scrutiny of whether federal officials adequately considered Haiti’s worsening security and humanitarian crisis before moving to end the designation — which was first granted to Haitians after the 2010 earthquake that claimed more than 200,000 lives in the beleaguered country.
The case centers on the Trump administration’s November 2025 decision to end TPS for Haitians, which plaintiffs argue was rushed, politically motivated and disconnected from realities on the ground in Haiti. During hearings, Reyes questioned whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem conducted a meaningful review of country conditions before approving the termination.
In the initial hearing in January, Reyes appeared particularly skeptical of the administration’s reliance on a brief email from a State Department official stating there were “no foreign policy concerns” with ending TPS — sent just 53 minutes after the request was made late on a Friday afternoon.
“That response does not address country conditions in Haiti,” Reyes said during the hearing, according to The New York Times.
Haiti has faced escalating gang violence, mass displacement and political instability since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. United Nations officials have repeatedly warned of worsening hunger, insecurity and the near-collapse of public institutions.
TPS is a humanitarian program that allows nationals of designated countries to live and work legally in the U.S. when returning home would be unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disasters or extraordinary conditions. It does not provide a pathway to permanent residency.
Haitians first received TPS after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake and have remained eligible through multiple redesignations. Plaintiffs in the current lawsuit include a nurse, a doctoral candidate researching Alzheimer’s disease, and other long-term residents who argue the government selectively cited international reports while ignoring warnings of widespread violence and displacement.
“You cannot rely on the article for one thing and not the other,” Reyes said then, referring to the administration’s use of U.N. findings.
Mobilization for extension
For months, immigrant rights advocates, lawmakers and many employers warned that ending TPS would destabilize families and communities nationwide, particularly in states with large Haitian populations, while harming industries such as healthcare, hospitality and elder care that rely heavily on TPS holders.
Aline Gue, a Haitian community leader who attended the hearing, said the looming decision placed families in an impossible position.
“This puts our Haitians in a position to be deported to a country where there is documented mass displacement, widespread gender-based violence and no recourse for justice,” she said.
Proceedings continued through a second day of hearings as attorneys debated the legality of the termination and the consequences for Haitian nationals living in the United States.
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