Legal Blitz Against TPS Terminations Gains Steam
Attorneys General from 15 states back a federal lawsuit to block DHS from stripping humanitarian protections, calling it a reckless move that punishes survivors of quakes and hurricanes.
WASHINGTON — A coalition of 15 state Attorneys General, including New York’s Letitia James and Massachusetts’ Andrea Joy Campbell, filed an amicus brief this week opposing the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
The brief, submitted in the federal case National TPS Alliance v. Noem, challenges the Trump administration-era policy that aims to strip legal status from roughly 60,000 immigrants who have resided and worked in the United States for years. TPS is a humanitarian program established by Congress in 1990 to protect immigrants from countries experiencing natural disasters, armed conflict, or extraordinary conditions, granting them temporary legal residence and work authorization.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of TPS for Nepal on June 6, affecting approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants displaced by the 2015 earthquakes. On July 8, DHS ended TPS protections for 51,000 Hondurans and 2,900 Nicaraguans, whose status was originally granted following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1999.
The Attorneys General warn that terminating TPS for these communities threatens to cause “chaos” in states like New York, home to over 56,000 TPS holders, including the largest Nepali immigrant population in Queens County. The brief highlights the potential for widespread economic disruption and family separations, noting that tens of thousands of U.S. citizen family members live in mixed-status households with TPS holders.
In a press statement, New York Attorney General James said, “Revoking TPS for 60,000 people will do nothing except cause chaos throughout New York and other states and stoke fear in immigrant communities. By eliminating their legal status, this administration is putting thousands of New Yorkers in danger and breaking up families across the country.”
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Massachusetts Attorney General Campbell echoed these concerns, emphasizing the coalition’s commitment to protecting TPS holders and the vital role they play in state economies and communities.
The brief urges the court to issue a preliminary injunction to halt the terminations, warning that affected immigrants face dire choices: return alone to unsafe countries, uproot family members, or remain in the U.S. without legal protections, unable to work and vulnerable to deportation.
Joining New York and Massachusetts in the amicus filing are the Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
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