• A federal judge blocks Trump administration's plan to end TPS for Haitians.
• Approximately 521,000 Haitian migrants will retain their legal status.
• The judge criticized the government's failure to follow legal requirements for TPS review.
• Conditions in Haiti remain dire, justifying the continuation of TPS protections.

A federal judge in New York has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 500,000 Haitians currently living in the United States. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had acted unlawfully by deciding to end TPS for Haitians on September 2, 2025, rather than allowing it to extend through February 3, 2026, as previously stipulated under the Biden administration's extension, according to Reuters, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.

Judge Cogan emphasized that Secretary Kristi Noem's plan to revoke TPS was outside her legal authority and neglected mandated procedures regarding the status review of Haitian nationals living in the U.S. The plaintiffs, a group of Haitian TPS holders, successfully argued that they had relied on the government’s assurances of continued protection to make significant life decisions such as employment and education, as outlined in the judge's ruling, according to Reuters and CBS News.

The ruling follows DHS's assertion that conditions in Haiti had improved enough to warrant the end of TPS; however, the judge referenced ongoing gang violence and political instability as critical factors undermining this claim. The United Nations and various reports indicate a worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti, with over 1.3 million displaced people, highlighting the dire need for TPS to continue, as noted in the Los Angeles Times.

This ruling is significant as it reflects ongoing legal battles against the Trump administration’s broader initiatives to revoke protections for immigrants under TPS and other programs. Trump’s administration had previously succeeded in ending TPS for Venezuelan migrants in a separate Supreme Court decision, prompting concerns about the future of similar protections for various national groups, according to CBS News and Los Angeles Times.