New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined forces with 13 other attorneys general to oppose the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. The coalition argues that this move threatens the legal status of these immigrants in the United States.
Attorney General James stated, “Revoking TPS for 60,000 people will do nothing except cause chaos throughout New York and other states and stoke fear in immigrant communities.”
The TPS program was established by Congress in 1990 as a humanitarian measure to protect immigrants from being returned to unsafe countries. On June 6, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to terminate Nepal’s designation for TPS protection, affecting approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants. Following this, on July 8, Secretary Noem also announced terminations for Honduras and Nicaragua, impacting 51,000 and 2,900 immigrants respectively.
The attorneys general have highlighted the potential economic and humanitarian consequences of ending these protections. They warn that thousands of families could be affected if the terminations proceed. In total, over 100,000 U.S. citizens live in mixed-status households with people who may lose their legal status.
Attorney General James emphasized the contributions of TPS holders: “By eliminating their legal status, this administration is putting thousands of New Yorkers in danger and breaking up families across the country.”
The coalition is urging the court to delay these actions through preliminary relief measures while protecting affected immigrants. The brief filed includes support from attorneys general across several states including California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
