Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s early rollback of protections for Haitian immigrants in the U.S.
The big picture: The move, for now, preserves the Biden administration’s extension of Temporary Protect Status (TPS) for an estimated 520,000 Haitians, who would have been eligible for deportations next month.
Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said in the ruling that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t follow the mandated timeline to get rid of a TPS designation.
- “Secretary Noem does not have statutory or inherent authority to partially vacate a country’s TPS designation,” Cogan wrote, calling the action “unlawful.”
- The interest of Haitians’ living and working in the U.S. “far outweigh any harm to the Government from a postponement,” the judge said.
- DHS did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment on Tuesday evening.
Catch up quick: Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had extended TPS for Haitians until February 2026 before Trump took office.
- Noem vacated that decision in February this year, saying TPS eligibility for Haitians would end Aug. 3, 2025.
- She announced last week that the TPS designation would expire effective Sept. 2.
Zoom out: President Trump amplified baseless claims about Haitian Americans while vowing to crack down on illegal immigration during his 2024 election campaign.
- Trump said at the time that he’d end TPS designations for Haitians as he and his supporters spread false information about Haitian immigrants in Ohio.
Flashback: Trump rolls back protections for about 520,000 Haitian migrants
