Attorney General Bonta Supports Challenge to Trump Administration’s Early Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Venezuelans

Leads multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief in Haitian-Americans United v. Trump

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, filed an amicus brief in Haitian-Americans United v. Trump in support of a challenge to the early termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haitians and Venezuelans. TPS is a critical humanitarian program that allows immigrants of designated countries to remain in the United States due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home countries. Since taking office, the Trump Administration has taken the unprecedented and unlawful action of attempting to cancel TPS for more than 800,000 immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries. 

“The Trump Administration seeks to strip more than 50% of all TPS holders of legal protections that allow them to live lawfully in this country. In doing so, it threatens to force these individuals to choose between living in the shadows here in America or returning to dangerous conditions in their home countries,” said Attorney General Bonta. “TPS holders are neighbors and co-workers, teachers and students, entrepreneurs and job-creators. They are integral parts of their communities and important contributors to our economy. I urge the court to prevent the Trump Administration’s heartless and unlawful attempt to revoke their legal immigration status.” 

In the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition urge the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to prevent the Trump Administration’s order from going into effect, arguing that the termination of Haitian and Venezuelan TPS is unlawful and will:

• Result in irreparable harm to families, stripping members of work authorization and exposing them to the threat of deportation.
• Harm states’ economies and workforces as TPS holders, including the Haitian and Venezuelan communities, are dynamic contributors to California and other states’ economies.
• Raise healthcare costs and pose substantial risks to public health.
• Create challenges for jurisdictions across the country in enforcing their criminal codes and protecting public safety.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to upholding the rights and protections of all of California’s residents, including the nearly 11 million immigrants who call California home. He has defended pathways for legal immigration for those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home counties, supported a challenge to the early termination of the TPS designation for Venezuela, and secured a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit challenging the President’s unlawful executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

Attorney General Bonta, with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and New York Attorney General Letitia James, leads the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin in filing the brief.  

A copy of the brief can be found here.