A federal judge gave final approval Wednesday for the Trump administration to strip away temporary deportation protections that have shielded hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the United States, closing out a legal fight that stretched all the way to the Supreme Court.
US District Judge Ana Reyes issued the order more than a month after the Supreme Court reversed an earlier decision she had made this year, one that had temporarily blocked the government from ending the program known as Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who fled their country amid political turmoil and natural disasters, according to CNN.
In a brief written order, Reyes stated that her earlier court order, which had paused the effective date of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end TPS for Haiti while the case underwent judicial review, is no longer in effect.
Clearing Up Confusion
Wednesday’s order resolves a question that had been hanging over roughly 350,000 Haitians relying on the program. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling at the end of June, it hadn’t been entirely clear when the protections would actually come to an end in practice. This latest order settles that timeline.
What This Means for Haitian TPS Holders
Geoff Pipoly, an attorney representing the Haitian TPS holders who brought the original legal challenge, said the consequences are immediate and severe.
He explained that with this order now implementing the Supreme Court’s decision, Haitian TPS holders, none of whom have criminal records, can no longer legally work in the United States, and many now face the possibility of being sent back to Haiti, a country that remains among the most dangerous in the world.
Enforcement Already Underway
Even before this final order came down, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had already begun targeting TPS holders, including Haitians, whose protected status was approaching its expiration date. With Wednesday’s ruling now in place, the administration has a clear legal path to begin deporting Haitian TPS holders back to Haiti.