Federal Judge Clears Path for Trump Administration to End TPS Protections for 350,000 Haitians

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday formally lifted the last remaining legal barrier blocking the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 350,000 Haitians living in the United States, clearing the way for the government to begin deportation proceedings.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes of the District of Columbia issued a brief order stating that her earlier stay—which had prevented the effective date of the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Haiti’s TPS designation—is no longer in effect. The move follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on June 25, 2026, which held that federal courts generally lack authority to review the executive branch’s decisions to end TPS designations.

In its June ruling, the high court reversed lower-court injunctions, including Reyes’s February order that had kept the protections in place while litigation continued. Once the Supreme Court’s mandate reached the district court, Reyes confirmed the stay was lifted.

TPS is a humanitarian program that grants temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to nationals of designated countries facing conditions such as armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. Haiti’s designation stemmed from the devastating 2010 earthquake and was repeatedly extended amid ongoing political instability, gang violence, and natural disasters.

With the stay removed, the termination of TPS for Haitian nationals takes effect. Those without other forms of legal status are now subject to removal. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had already begun related enforcement actions in recent weeks, and administration officials have indicated that self-deportation options remain available alongside formal removal proceedings.

The decision marks a significant victory for the Trump administration’s broader efforts to end TPS designations for multiple countries. Legal challenges on remaining constitutional grounds, including equal-protection claims, are expected to continue in the courts, but they no longer block the immediate termination of the status.

Advocacy groups have expressed concern over the safety of returnees given conditions in Haiti, while administration officials maintain that the program was always intended to be temporary and that conditions no longer justify continued designation.

The ruling affects one of the largest TPS populations in the United States. Officials estimate approximately 350,000 Haitians held the status prior to the termination.