NEW YORK, CMC –A coalition of attorneys general is urging the Us Supreme Court to uphold the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria who have been living in the United States for several years.
New York Attorney General, Letitia James, who is co-leading the group, said an amicus brief, or “friend-of-the-court” brief, has been submitted to the appellate court arguing that the Trump administration’s “unlawful attempt” to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants threatens the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country, disrupting states’ economies and jeopardising the future of their children.
James told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the coalition is urging the Supreme Court to uphold lower court decisions that have postponed the termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.
“For generations, we have welcomed those fleeing danger in their home countries to build a safe and prosperous life in the United States,” she said.
“Immigrants with TPS hold valuable roles in our communities as business owners, workers, teachers, and parents. We will continue to stand against the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to cancel their legal status and tear families apart.”
The New York Attorney General said the United States has a long history of providing a haven to those who have escaped armed conflict, natural disasters, and repressive conditions.
She said TPS allows immigrants fleeing these dangerous conditions in their home countries to live and work in the US and has been extended to immigrants from Haiti since 2010 and to immigrants from Syria since 2012.
James said New York is home to at least 5,400 Haitian TPS holders in New York City, while nationwide, there are about 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians with TPS.
In 2025, James said the Trump administration “illegally moved to terminate TPS for Haiti, Syria, and several other countries” and that the coalition is arguing that Haitian and Syrian TPS holders “contribute substantially to their communities and their states’ economies.
“Tens of thousands of Haitian TPS holders work in health care and other critical services, particularly in New York, where TPS holders fill valuable roles as home health aides. Syrian immigrants own businesses at more than triple the rate of US-born citizens, and Syrian TPS holders contribute US$165 million annually to the US economy. Haitian TPS holders contribute $3.4 billion annually to the US economy.
“Terminating TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants would put hundreds of thousands of families at risk by forcing vulnerable immigrants to either remain in the US without a secure legal status or return to dangerous conditions in their home countries,” the coalition argues, noting that the Trump administration has designated conditions in Haiti and Syria as “extremely dangerous.
“The State Department warns Americans not to travel to either country due to the risk of violence, terrorism, civil unrest, and limited health care – the very conditions that prompted TPS protections for residents of these countries in the first place,” the coalition said.
“Terminating TPS would force TPS holder parents to choose between abandoning their children born in America and returning to their home country alone, taking their families with them to a dangerous and unfamiliar country, or remaining in the US without legal status and with the constant fear that they could be forcibly separated and deported at any time.” The coalition also argues that terminating TPS would increase public health and safety risks in their states.
Ending the legal status for hundreds of thousands of workers would cause many to lose their health insurance, putting themselves and their families at greater risk and increasing health care costs for states.
“Without legal status, many TPS holders would be unwilling to visit a hospital or doctor’s office for fear of encountering immigration enforcement officers. TPS holders would also be less willing to report crimes to law enforcement or serve as witnesses at trial, increasing public safety risks in their communities,” they said, urging the US Supreme Court to uphold lower court orders postponing the federal government’s termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.
In March, James co-led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in urging the US Supreme Court to uphold TPS for Haitians. In February, she was part of a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in support of TPS for Haitians.
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