A federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision in the ongoing lawsuit over Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. This means that more than 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. — including thousands in Ohio — can maintain their legal status while the lawsuit plays out.
The 2-to-1 ruling was issued March 6 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The Trump administration and its Department of Homeland Security had been arguing in court that it was being irreparably harmed by Temporary Protected Status continuing for Haiti. But the judges wrote in their order that the federal government did not give enough justification for that argument.
"On the other side of the ledger, the plaintiffs face substantial and well-documented harms," the order stated. "As the district court detailed at length, the termination of TPS would have 'devastating' consequences for the plaintiffs, including risk of detention and deportation, separation from family members, and loss of work authorization."
The larger legal battle at play is over Homeland Security wanting to end Haiti's TPS. The Trump administration had tried to end it Feb. 3, but a judge paused that expiration.
Haitians were initially granted Temporary Protected Status after an earthquake in 2010 devastated the country and killed 222,570 people. The Biden administration extended it in 2021 after the assassination of the president of Haiti.
Haitian plaintiffs have sued, arguing that the Trump administration's decision to let the status expire was not based on Haiti being safe to return home.
The case could have a large impact on the Springfield. An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians live in the area, mostly through TPS, including one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
