November 12, 2025

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 15 other attorneys general in taking action to defend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants, including many who have lived, worked, and raised their families in the United States for years. In an amicus brief filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Attorney General James and the coalition urge the court to uphold a lower court's ruling that found the administration's termination of TPS unlawful.

"Haitian and Venezuelan TPS holders contribute immensely to our communities by starting businesses, raising families, and attending our schools," said Attorney General James. "This administration's cruel attempt to suddenly and unlawfully end their legal status will threaten hundreds of thousands of immigrants who fled violence and oppression to build a better life in this country. I will keep fighting to protect the rights of our immigrant communities."

Despite ongoing humanitarian crises in both Haiti and Venezuela, and warnings from the U.S. State Department concerning the two countries' safety, the Trump administration attempted to terminate TPS protections for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants shortly after the Biden administration extended them. If allowed to take effect, this sudden termination of legal status would cause chaos and confusion for hundreds of thousands of people across the country - many of whom fled violence, oppression, and poverty to build a life in the United States. Without TPS, Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants would lose their work authorization and could face deportation, endangering themselves and their families.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the United States District Court for the Northern District of California correctly found that the administration's action was arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to the law. Revoking TPS would cause immense economic, public health, and public safety disruptions in communities across the country.

In their brief, Attorney General James and the coalition assert that hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens who live with a Haitian or Venezuelan TPS holder would be put at risk. In 2022, approximately 54,000 U.S. citizen children and 80,000 U.S. citizen adults lived with a Venezuelan TPS holder, and about 87,000 U.S. citizen children and 116,000 U.S. citizen adults lived with a Haitian TPS holder. If the administration successfully revokes TPS, parents would be faced with an impossible choice to either return to their home country and leave their families behind, take their U.S. citizen children with them to a dangerous country they do not know, or stay in the U.S. without legal status and risk fear, uncertainty, and deportation at any moment.

Attorney General James and the coalition also highlight the significant economic contributions of Haitian and Venezuelan TPS holders. Nationwide, Venezuelan TPS holders contribute over $11 billion to the economy each year. Haitian TPS holders contribute $4.4 billion annually. In New York, TPS households earned $2.3 billion in income, paid $348.9 million in federal taxes, $305.5 million in state and local taxes, and contributed $1.6 billion in spending power in 2023 alone.

Revoking TPS for these communities would leave many without work authorization, jeopardizing their ability to provide for their families. In addition, the employer-sponsored health care that they and their families rely on would also be at risk, posing significant public health threats.

Attorney General James is a leader in taking action to defend the rights of TPS holders. In September, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending TPS for Haitian immigrants. In July, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 14 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending TPS for immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. In June, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in defending TPS for Venezuelan immigrants. In April, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending TPS for Haitian immigrants.

Joining Attorney General James in filing the brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.