Trump breaks the law – again – forcing a judge to block his new whim and explain why he can’t do whatever he wants this time

A federal court recently stepped in to stop the Trump administration from ending Haiti’s temporary protected status earlier than planned. This status protects certain Haitian immigrants from being deported. The court’s action came just days after the Homeland Security Secretary had announced that the status would soon be canceled.

A judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled that the Secretary’s decision was against the law and ordered that the protected status must stay in place until its originally planned end date. Basically, when the government grants benefits for a specific period of time, the people receiving those benefits have a reasonable expectation that they will last for the full duration promised.

According to The Washington Post, the effort to cut short Haiti’s temporary protected status was led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem. Her announcement stated that the status, which had been shielding certain Haitian immigrants from deportation, would end in September. This was a major change from the original timeline. The Secretary had first tried to shorten the designation earlier in the year, in February, which led to the legal challenge that resulted in the recent court ruling.

Trump can’t remove promised status from Haitians for no reason

The administration argued that Temporary Protected Status was being used in a way that went beyond its original purpose. In response to the administration’s move, Judge Brian M. Cogan of the Eastern District of New York, who a previous administration, issued a strong ruling. He decided that Secretary Noem’s attempt to end the status quo early was not legal.

His order specifically stated that Haiti’s temporary protected status must continue until its originally scheduled end date of February 3. The judge’s main reasoning focused on the idea of a fixed period. He explained that when the government provides a benefit for a set amount of time, the people receiving it should reasonably expect to have it for that entire period. This interpretation stressed the importance of sticking to established timelines and respecting the expectations of those affected by such decisions.

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a humanitarian program that lets eligible immigrants live and work legally in the United States. It is given to people from countries facing conditions that make it unsafe to return, such as ongoing wars, natural disasters, or other extreme and temporary situations. The status usually lasts between six and eighteen months. Currently, seventeen countries have TPS designations, including Nepal, Lebanon, Ukraine, and Yemen, showing how the program applies to various global crises. TPS is meant to provide temporary safety, not a permanent immigration solution, allowing people to stay in the U.S. until conditions in their home countries improve.

For Haiti, about 520,000 people living in the United States qualify for this protected status, with around 350,000 already approved by the Department of Homeland Security. Keeping this status is especially important because of the dangerous conditions in Haiti right now. The State Department has warned against all travel to the country, which has been in a state of emergency since March 2024. This warning is due to serious problems, including frequent kidnappings, shooting at airplanes, widespread crime, major civil unrest, and very limited healthcare services.