The Florida Immigrant Coalition hailed Monday night's decision to block the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrant as "a critical victory for families, workers, and communities across the country — especially here in Florida."
"This ruling recognizes what communities have long known: stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have built their lives in the United States would have caused devastating and unnecessary harm," said Tessa Petit, who is FLIC's executive Director and originally from Haiti, in a statement released immediately after the judge's decision.
A federal judge on Monday blocked the administration from ending TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians. TPS allowed them to live and work in the U.S.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted a request to pause the termination of TPS for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The TPS designation was scheduled to end Tuesday.
READ MORE: Judge blocks Trump administration from ending TPS for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants
Reyes, in a 83-page opinion, wrote that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on the merits of the case, and she found it “substantially likely” that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
FLIC's Petit said the decision provides Haitian TPS holders with "immediate relief from the fear of family separation, job loss, and forced return to life-threatening conditions in Haiti, where political instability, gang violence, and humanitarian collapse remain acute."
"No one should be deported into crisis, and today’s ruling affirms that the law cannot be twisted to justify cruelty.”
She called the decision "a step toward justice, stability, and common sense."
“The court’s action also protects Florida’s economy,” she said, noting that Haitian TPS holders are "essential workers, small business owners, and caregivers."
"By preventing the abrupt loss of work authorization, this decision safeguards billions in economic activity, helps stabilize key industries facing labor shortages, and allows businesses and families alike to plan for the future instead of bracing for chaos," she said.
She also said the judge's ruling serves as "a check" on the Trump administration's "dangerous and reckless agenda."
"The Trump administration’s effort to de-status millions of people who belong in our communities is not about law or public safety — it is about exclusion and fear," she said. "Today, the court made clear that communities cannot be uprooted on a political whim."
"Temporary relief is not enough," added Petit. "Congress must act to provide permanent protections so Haitian families can live with certainty and dignity."
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, who co-chairs the House Haiti Caucus with U.S.. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, is urging House members to sign a “discharge petition” that could force the House vote on a bill to require the Administration to extend TPS for Haitians for three years.
The discharge petition will need 218 signatures in the House to move forward. As of Monday night, 81 House lawmakers had signed it, including seven from Florida.
