President Trump notched another significant legal victory on immigration Wednesday after a federal judge formally cleared the way for his administration to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States. The ruling removes the last major legal obstacle that had been preventing the administration from moving forward with deportations tied to the program.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a short order acknowledging that her previous injunction is no longer in effect following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn her earlier ruling.
“The court’s order, which had stayed the effective date of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Termination of the Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status pending judicial review, is no longer in effect,” Reyes wrote.
The order brings clarity after weeks of uncertainty that followed the Supreme Court’s late June decision. While the justices ruled in favor of the Trump administration, questions remained about when the protections would officially end. Wednesday’s ruling answered that question by allowing the administration to proceed with its plans.
Attorneys representing Haitian migrants sharply criticized the outcome.
“As a result of today’s order implementing the Supreme Court’s decision, Haitian TPS holders, all of them non-criminals, can no longer legally work, and many are subject to removal to Haiti, which continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world,” said attorney Geoff Pipoly, who represents the Haitian TPS recipients challenging the administration.
Meanwhile, federal immigration officials have reportedly already begun implementing enforcement plans. According to sources familiar with those efforts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started preparing for the expiration of TPS protections.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made the administration’s position unmistakably clear during an interview with NewsNation.
“We’re going after them right now,” Mullin said. “These individuals can either self-deport or we’ll arrest you and send you back. It’s that simple.”
Some Haitian nationals have reportedly already been instructed to report to ICE offices, where authorities have fitted certain individuals with ankle monitors instead of placing them in detention while their immigration cases move forward.
Not every former TPS recipient faces immediate removal, however. Some individuals have separate immigration proceedings pending, including asylum applications or other legal claims that could allow them to remain in the United States while those cases are resolved.
Although the injunction has now been lifted, the broader lawsuit against the administration is still ongoing. Attorneys representing the migrants continue to argue that the decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation was motivated by discriminatory intent. They maintain they may still be able to present additional evidence supporting that claim despite the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Judge Reyes, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, had previously concluded that then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem likely failed to follow the law when ending Haiti’s TPS designation. She also found that the decision was likely influenced by racial animus. The Supreme Court reversed that decision, determining that the evidence before the district court did not support that conclusion and reinforcing limits on the ability of federal courts to second-guess the secretary’s determination.
The Trump administration is also defending similar efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for migrants from Ethiopia, Burma, and South Sudan. Those cases remain tied up in separate legal challenges, with other federal judges temporarily blocking the policy changes while litigation continues.
For the administration, Wednesday’s ruling represents another courtroom victory as President Trump continues advancing his immigration agenda. While legal challenges remain, the decision allows the government to begin enforcing the end of Haiti’s TPS designation, marking another major step in the administration’s broader effort to tighten immigration enforcement and reduce the use of temporary humanitarian protections.
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