A leading immigrant group in Miami and a South Florida congresswoman say hundreds of thousands of Haitians with Temporary Protected Status will be allowed to remain in the country until early next year 鈥� and not face possible deportation in September.
The Family Action Network Movement (FAMN) and U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said the Trump administration confirmed Friday they would comply with the recent ruling by a federal judge to keep in place TPS for Haitians until February 3, 2026.
鈥淲e are relieved that the Administration finally acknowledged the correct end-date of Haiti鈥檚 current TPS designation,鈥� said Paul Christian Namphy, Political Director of . 鈥淲e are encouraged that the court recognized the dire conditions that Haitians threatened with deportation would face upon arrival in Haiti.鈥�
"The court鈥檚 ruling makes clear what we have always known: TPS holders deserve stability, protection, and respect, not political games or legal uncertainty," said released Saturday.
This is not just a policy decision鈥攊t is a hard-fought legal victory for the Haitian community and all who have stood in defense of our immigrant families.
— Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (@CongresswomanSC)
The court鈥檚 ruling makes clear what we have always known: TPS holders deserve stability, protection, and respect, not鈥�
FANM and Cherfilus-McCormick pointed to an posted Friday on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website in saying the administration confirmed it would follow the judge's ruling.
In that alert, the Department of Homeland Security, said it "vehemently disagrees" with the judge's ruling and "is working to determine next steps.鈥�
DHS announced this month that it was terminating TPS for Haitians, effective Sept. 2.
The court ruling affects more than 500,000 Haitian TPS holders, including tens of thousands in South Florida, home to the nation's largest Haitian-American community.
In blocking the Trump administration from ending TPS, U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan, of New York, said it is unlawful to move up TPS expiration for Haitians, some of whom have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.
The judge's 23-page opinion stated that the 's move to terminate early violated the TPS statute that requires a certain amount of notice before reconsidering a designation.
鈥淲hen the Government confers a benefit over a fixed period of time, a beneficiary can reasonably expect to receive that benefit at least until the end of that fixed period,鈥� according to the ruling.
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The former Biden administration extended Haiti鈥檚 TPS status through at least Feb. 3, 2026, due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021 and several other factors, according to court documents.
DHS said conditions in Haiti had improved and Haitians no longer met the conditions for temporary legal protections.
At least 4,864 people have been killed from October to the end of June across Haiti, with hundreds of others kidnapped, raped and trafficked, according to a recent U.N. report. Most of the violence is centered in Port-au-Prince, but gangs in Haiti鈥檚 central region. Gang violence also in recent years.
Miami-based FANM has long argued that returning Haitian nationals to Haiti at this time would put their lives at risk.
鈥淗aiti continues to face a dire situation marked by widespread violence, rape, kidnapping, armed robbery, general insecurity, lack of access to basic resources, and governmental collapse,鈥� says FAMN in a statement.
鈥淭he court鈥檚 decision provides a crucial, if temporary, reprieve for the to remain safely in the United States and can legally work,鈥� says FAMN.
In her statement, Cherfilus-McCormick said those Haitians with TPS "who were wrongfully fired due to confusion around work permits must be reinstated immediately."
FANM is calling on the Trump administration and Congress to find reform the nation鈥檚 immigration laws and policies to include a path to permanent U.S. residency and citizenship for long-term TPS holders.
鈥淚mmigrants who have lived, worked, paid their taxes and taken care of their families and contributed in meaningful ways to their communities and to society for decades, deserve long-term protections and permanent status,鈥� says FAMN.
