New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with a coalition of 14 attorneys general, has taken a stand against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. The TPS program, established by Congress in 1990, is designed to protect immigrants from returning to unsafe countries.
In an amicus brief filed in the case National TPS Alliance v. Noem, Attorney General James emphasized the potential economic and humanitarian impacts of ending these protections. “Revoking TPS for 60,000 people will do nothing except cause chaos throughout New York and other states and stoke fear in immigrant communities,” said James.
On June 6, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to terminate Nepal’s TPS designation, affecting approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants who have been in the U.S. since the 2015 earthquakes. On July 8, it was announced that TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua would also be terminated, impacting 51,000 Honduran and 2,900 Nicaraguan immigrants.
The attorneys general warn that terminating these protections could lead to significant family separations as many U.S. citizens live with TPS holders. In total, over 100,000 U.S. citizens reside in mixed-status households with individuals at risk of losing their legal status.
Attorney General James noted that New York is home to around 56,800 TPS holders from various countries and highlighted the contributions they make to local economies. The coalition is urging the court to delay these revocations and protect affected immigrants.
Joining Attorney General James are attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
