Press Release  AG Campbell Urges Supreme Court To Preserve Temporary Protected Status For Haitians And Syrians

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Trump v. Miot and Mullin v. Doe in the Supreme Court of the United States, in support of a challenge to the Trump Administration’s termination of Haiti’s and Syria’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations.  

“Massachusetts is proud to be home to tens of thousands of TPS holders who are a critical part of our workforce and economy. The Trump Administration’s attempt to revoke legal status from this community and send children and families to countries experiencing widespread violence and starvation is unlawful and cruel,” said AG Campbell. “I urge the Supreme Court to affirm the rulings that have blocked these terminations and protect states’ economies, health care systems, and public safety.”   

TPS is a humanitarian immigration status created by Congress to protect foreign nationals who cannot safely return to their home country because of war, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS allows recipients to live and work in the United States as long as their home country has a TPS designation.  

Haitian immigrants have been eligible for TPS since 2010, when a devastating earthquake hit the country. The protections have repeatedly been extended due to unsafe conditions in Haiti, including widespread violence, homelessness, and starvation. Syrian immigrants have been eligible for TPS since 2012, when a violent civil war broke out. The protections have been extended multiple times due to the ongoing conflict that continues to cause food insecurity, limited access to health care and clean water, and an increased risk of violence against civilians. 

The Trump Administration attempted to abruptly terminate TPS for Haitians and Syrians in November of 2025, without any evidence that the dangerous conditions in the countries had improved and despite the fact that the U.S. State Department continues to classify both nations as “Level 4: Do Not Travel” countries—its highest risk designation. In February 2026, courts preserved protections for Haitian and Syrian TPS holders while the litigation over the lawfulness of the termination continues. In March 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to hear both cases. The Court deferred ruling on the Trump Administration’s request to allow the terminations to take effect immediately until a decision could be made on the merits of the cases. 

In today’s brief, AG Campbell and the coalition urge the Supreme Court to preserve the block on the Trump Administration’s termination, arguing that termination of TPS for Haitians and Syrians would separate families, damage economies, deplete workforces, increase health care costs, and harm public health and safety.  

Across states, thousands of TPS recipients provide important public services as health care providers, teachers, entrepreneurs, construction workers, and more. Hundreds of thousands of TPS-eligible Haitians work in labor-short industries, and Syrian immigrants own businesses at more than triple the rate of U.S. citizens by birth. Together, TPS-eligible Haitians and Syrians contribute more than $3.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy.  

Massachusetts is home to one of the nation’s largest Haitian populations, including tens of thousands of Haitian TPS holders. Massachusetts’s Department of Developmental Services alone employs dozens of Haitian TPS holders, who provide care to some of Massachusetts’s most vulnerable populations. Additionally, across the Commonwealth, 40% of the front-line staff in nursing homes are foreign born, many of them from Haiti. Stripping TPS recipients of their legal status and work authorization will cause irreparable harm to families, workforces, and state economies.  

In submitting their brief, AG Campbell and the coalition are asking the Supreme Court to affirm the lower court orders temporarily blocking termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.  

Joining AG Campbell in submitting this brief, which she co-led with the attorneys general of California, New York, and Illinois, are the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington. 

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