Arya News - A judge found it “substantially likely” that Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
( NewsNation ) — A federal judge ruled Monday to block the end of protections for Haitians in the United States, bringing relief to roughly 350,000 people who local leaders said were “scared to death” and living in fear of deportation.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted a request to pause the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it continues. The termination, which was set for Tuesday, “shall be null, void, and of no legal effect,” she wrote.
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“We can breathe for a little bit,” said Rose-Thamar Joseph, operations director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, Ohio.
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The decision follows weeks of demonstrations across the country, including in Springfield, where faith leaders have raised humanitarian concerns and warned mass deportations could create an “economic crisis.”
“Removing families and workers from Clark County will not strengthen Springfield; it will destabilize it,” said Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith in Action. “When families are torn apart, schools suffer. When workers are removed, businesses suffer. When fear spreads, communities suffer.”
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The Department of Homeland Security has argued that Temporary Protected Status should end for Haitian migrants because conditions have improved in Haiti, claiming it is now safe to return.
“Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. “It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.”
Haitian immigrants strongly disagree with that assessment.
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In an 83-page opinion, Reyes ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prevail on the merits of the case, and that she found it “substantially likely” that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
Reyes, an appointee of President Joe Biden, said Noem did not have “unbounded discretion” and was required to consult with other agencies on conditions in Haiti. The ruling cited Noem’s own words three days after announcing an end to Haitian protections, calling for a travel ban from Haiti and “every damn country that has been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
While the ruling grants temporary relief to Haitians, the next legal steps are unclear.
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