A civil rights organziation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston on Monday that seeks to block the Trump administration's accelerated roll-back of protections for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants who are living in the US legally with Temporary Protected Statues (TPS).
Lawyers for Civil Rights says it is taking the action "on behalf of three immigrant advocacy organizations—Haitians Americans United, Inc. (HAU), Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts (VAM), UndocuBlack Network (UBN)—and four affected individuals."
“TPS is a critical lifeline for immigrants who have fled extreme violence, political upheaval, and natural disasters in their home countries,” said Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, one of the attorneys. “The decision to undermine TPS for Haiti and Venezuela is driven by racial bias and has no basis in the realities these communities face. The Constitution prohibits government actions based on racial animus,” she added, citing comments that Trump has made including that Venezuelan immigrants are “animals” and that Haitian immigrants “all have AIDS.”
Last month, Trump and his administration revoked an extension that was granted for both Haitians and Venezuelans that will speed up the end of TPS for both groups. Haitians with TPS status were supposed to see their protections expire under an extension granted by former President Biden, but not until Feb. 2026. Trump's directive speeds it up to Aug. 3, 2025 for Haitians. Venezuelans face expulsion even soon— April 2, 2025.
Today's lawsuit argues that the president does not have the authority to "revoke an extension that has already been granted."
Two of the individual plaintiffs named in the suit using pseudonyms Sydney and Marlene Doe settled in Massachusetts after leaving Haiti in 2018, according to the LCR.
"Sydney is a real estate broker and business owner, and Marlene is a Certified Nursing Assistant who was on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic," the group said.
Dieufort J. Fleurissaint, executive director of Haitian-Americans United, Inc., said in a statement that “the community is anxious about the sudden loss of legal status, the possibility of facing deportation to unstable conditions in Haiti, and potential difficulties in finding alternative legal pathways in the U.S.”