New York, New York - More than a dozen state attorneys general are taking action to prohibit the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti amid Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday she and a coalition of 18 other AGs had filed an amicus brief asking the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York to keep TPS in place for thousands of Haitian immigrants.

The move came after Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February announced it was vacating a TPS extension granted under former President Joe Biden, with protections set to end on August 3 of this year. If carried out, the decision is expected to impact around half a million people.

The AGs argue that the Trump administration had not accounted for the precarious situation in Haiti when announcing the decision to roll back TPS protections.

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They note that carrying out the order could lead to family separations and disrupt local economies in the US.

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. Haiti received its first designation after a devastating 2010 earthquake that claimed tens of thousands of lives, and protections have been repeatedly extended since that time.

TPS holders from Haiti last month sued the Trump administration over its attempt to strip them of their lawful immigration status as part of his mass deportation push.

"Revoking Haitians' legal immigration status that has kept them safe with their families in the US is cruel and dangerous," James said in a press release.

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"Haitian immigrants have contributed immensely to our communities, neighborhoods, and local economies, and without them New York and this nation would not be the same. I am urging this federal court to keep Haitians' legal status intact so that families can safely stay together."

The legal battle over TPS comes amid growing calls for reparations and restitution for Haiti amid generations of colonial and neocolonial exploitation.