Attorney General Bonta Co-Leads Multistate Amicus Brief Challenging the Trump Administration’s Early Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association v. Trump in support of a challenge to the early termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haitians. TPS is a critical humanitarian program established by Congress in 1990 that allows nationals of designated countries to remain in the United States due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home countries. In their brief, the attorneys general urge the district court to grant the plaintiffs’ motion to postpone the unlawful early termination of the TPS designation for Haitians.

“The Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation threatens the very livelihoods of individuals fleeing from a humanitarian crisis in search of safety and a better life for their families,” said Attorney General Bonta. Our Haitian TPS holders are an integral part of our community, they are our neighbors, co-workers, teachers, and caregivers. At the California DOJ we recognize the importance of our TPS communities and urge the court to prevent the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to revoke their legal immigration status from going into effect.”

In the amicus brief, the coalition urges the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to prevent the Trump Administration’s order from going into effect, arguing that the termination of Haitian TPS is unlawful and will:

• Result in irreparable harm to families, stripping members of work authorization exposing them to the threat of deportation.
• Harm states’ economies and workforces as the TPS-holder community, including the Haitian community, are dynamic contributors to Amici States’ economies.
• Raise healthcare costs and pose substantial risks to public health.
• Create challenges for jurisdictions across the country in enforcing their criminal codes and protecting public safety. 

Attorney General Bonta is committed to upholding the rights and protections of all Californians, including the nearly 11 million immigrants who call California home. He has supported a challenge to the early termination of the TPS designation for Haitians and Venezuelans, defended pathways for legal immigration for those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home counties, and secured a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit challenging the President’s unlawful executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

Attorney General Bonta co-led the filing of today’s brief along with the Attorneys General of New York and Massachusetts, and is joined by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

A copy of the brief can be found here.