FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in urging Congress to take immediate action to protect Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders as lawmakers return to session.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Attorney General Brown and the coalition called on Congress to pass An Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status (H.R. 1689/S. 4814), which would extend TPS protections for Haiti. The coalition also asked Congress to pass legislation that would provide judicial oversight of TPS decisions and establish a pathway to permanent residency for TPS holders.
The coalition’s letter comes as Congress returns to session following the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Mullin v. Doe, which terminated TPS for Haitians and Syrians while laying the groundwork for the revocation of TPS protections for other countries without any form of judicial oversight or review. The court’s decision has created uncertainty for more than one million TPS holders nationwide and could have extreme humanitarian and economic impacts on these individuals and families who lawfully live and work in the United States.
In their letter, Attorney General Brown and the coalition argue that the termination of TPS for Haiti will have immediate repercussions, not only for Haitian TPS holders, but also on the economies of both the nation and individual states. These economies are dependent on Haitian workers. TPS-eligible Haitians contribute $3.4 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Maryland is home to a rapidly expanding Haitian community, including many Haitian nationals who live and work in the state through TPS. Haitian TPS holders in Maryland are deeply embedded in the local workforce and community life, working in healthcare, poultry, hospitality, construction, transportation, and public service, among other critical industries. The loss of Haitian workers will exacerbate existing labor shortages in these critical industries.
The coalition also underscores the severe humanitarian conditions in Haiti, where TPS was first designated in 2010 following a devastating earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced more than 1.5 million people. Since then, additional crises – including a cholera outbreak, Hurricane Matthew, political instability, escalating gang violence, civil unrest, and poverty – have only exacerbated unsafe conditions in Haiti. The U.S. State Department currently maintains a “Level 4 Do Not Travel” warning for Haiti “due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited health care.”
The coalition asks Congress to take immediate action to institute protections for Haitian TPS holders, including by passing H.R. 1689/S.4814, which has already passed in the House of Representatives. They also ask Congress to pass legislation allowing for judicial oversight and pathways to permanent legal residency for TPS holders. Judicial oversight would provide a necessary check on potential abuse of executive branch power by allowing for the impartial review of TPS decisions, including by allowing courts to determine whether the statutory requirements for the removal of a country’s TPS designation were followed.
Joining Attorney General Brown in sending this letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
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