NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today co-led a coalition of 14 attorneys general in opposing the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) unlawful and baseless attempt to strip Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from Honduran, Nepali, and Nicaraguan immigrants, threatening their legal status in the United States. The TPS program is a critical humanitarian lifeline established by Congress in 1990 that protects immigrants from being returned to countries that have been deemed unsafe, allowing them to work and build a life in the United States. In an amicus brief filed today in National TPS Alliance v. Noem, Attorney General James and the coalition highlight the devastating economic and humanitarian consequences of ending these TPS protections and urge the court to postpone the proposed actions.
“New York is proudly home to a large, vibrant immigrant community,” said Attorney General James. “Revoking TPS for 60,000 people will do nothing except cause chaos throughout New York and other states and stoke fear in immigrant communities. By eliminating their legal status, this administration is putting thousands of New Yorkers in danger and breaking up families across the country.”
On June 6, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate Nepal’s designation for TPS protection, revoking TPS for approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants who have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for more than a decade since the catastrophic 2015 earthquakes. On July 8, Secretary Noem announced DHS would also terminate TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua, revoking the status of 51,000 and 2,900 immigrants, respectively. TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua, who were granted TPS status in 1999 due to the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch, have built their lives in the United States for more than 25 years. In total, the three TPS terminations would strip more than 60,000 people of the legal status that has enabled them to participate in and strengthen the civic life and economy of the United States.
The attorneys general warn that thousands of families of Honduran, Nepali, and Nicaraguan TPS holders across their states will be profoundly harmed if the terminations are not postponed. In 2022, around 68,000 U.S. citizens lived with a Honduran TPS holder, approximately 13,000 U.S. citizens lived with a Nicaraguan TPS holder, and approximately 23,000 U.S. citizens lived with a Nepali TPS holder. In total, over 100,000 U.S. citizens lived in mixed-status households with people who are now at risk of losing their legal status, potentially leading to devastating family separations.
Now, TPS holders from these countries face a devastating choice between:
New York is a safe home to approximately 56,800 TPS holders from all countries. In particular, Queens County in New York City is home to the largest number of Nepali immigrants in the country. Attorney General James and the coalition emphasize that TPS holders bring enormous benefits to their states, and stripping these individuals of legal status will harm states’ economies and workforces.
The attorneys general are urging the court to issue preliminary relief postponing these revocations and protecting immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
Joining Attorney General James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.