San Diego, California - Four Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from Haiti have sued the Trump administration over its attempt to strip them of their lawful immigration status.

TPS is a temporary legal status for nationals of designated countries already residing in the US when conditions like political turmoil, armed conflicts, and natural disasters prevent their safe return.

In June, the Biden administration re-designated and extended TPS for Haitian nationals through February 3, 2026.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last month announced it was vacating the TPS extension and that protections would end on August 3 of this year, a move expected to impact around half a million people.

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"We reject the Trump administration’s racist and inaccurate effort to undermine TPS and eliminate protections for TPS holders," Jose Palma, co-coordinator of the National TPS Alliance, said in a press release.

"Haitian TPS holders, like all TPS holders, are lawfully present here pursuant to protection granted because it is not safe for them to return to their country right now."

The Haitian plaintiffs have joined NTPSA v. Noem, a case filed by the National TPS Alliance and seven Venezuelan TPS holders.

The lawsuit – which now seeks to protect over 1 million people – accuses DHS of violating the Administrative Procedure Act, which does not permit early terminations. It also argues that the withdrawal is motivated by racial animus, in violation of the US Constitution.

Viles Dorsainvil, a plaintiff in Springfield, Ohio, and founding director of Haitian Community Help & Support Center, said, "The Haitian community has faced unrelenting stigmatization by government officials. Stripping us of our legal status is the latest attack on Haitians, and one that cannot be allowed."

"I am speaking out today because our community is suffering," Dorsainvil added. "We cannot safely return to Haiti, which is in crisis, and TPS has allowed us to be productive members of our communities. It must continue."