(Boston, M.A.)— On Friday, May 1, a federal judge in Massachusetts extended the pause of the effective termination date of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The order ensures Somali TPS holders maintain their status until the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling concerning TPS holders from Syria and Haiti, which could have broader implications for the future of the TPS program as a whole.
The court’s order further pauses efforts by the Administration to end TPS protections for Somalis as part of its broader campaign to strip immigrants from non-European, predominantly non-white countries of their legal status and make them deportable. As the Administration doubles down on discriminatory immigration enforcement and fast-track removals targeting Somalis, the district court’s order continues to protect Somali TPS holders from the risks of immigrant confinement and deportation. It also ensures Somali TPS holders can continue working and have access to health care and other related benefits.
“The court’s order temporarily preserves our clients’ TPS status and ensures that families are not forcibly separated and uprooted from their lives as integral community members in the U.S.,” said Sadaf Hasan, Staff Attorney at Muslim Advocates. “The stakes couldn’t be higher–TPS holders face the threat of being forcibly deported to the ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Somalia. While the stay ensures stability for now, it does not resolve the underlying legal questions in our challenge to the government’s procedurally improper and discriminatory termination of TPS for Somalia. Whatever the outcome from the Supreme Court, we’re committed to the fight to secure long-term safety, protection, and dignity for all Somali TPS holders and applicants.”
“Any amount of relief, including temporary relief, is critical for communities facing the type of danger and uncertainty that Somali communities have been facing. We are affirmed by this decision to continue protecting Somali TPS holders while our lawsuit continues. The attempt to delegalize hundreds of Somalis living in the U.S. is motivated not by fact, but by xenophobia and racism. We will continue to ensure that we stand for protecting our Somali neighbors and stand for a more just immigration system.” – Diana Konaté, Deputy Executive Director, Policy & Advocacy, African Communities Together.
“Our community came from war zones and really unsafe places, and going back just isn’t safe for them. For many, it’s not just instability, it’s fear of persecution and real danger waiting for them. TPS has been what’s kept them protected and allowed them to build some kind of stable life here. We’re talking about families who have worked hard, raised their kids, and become part of our communities. Sending them back into that kind of situation would be devastating,” said Rahmo Abdi, Director of Organizing and Campaigns with the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA).
“This stay gives Somali TPS holders and their families a moment to breathe, but it does not undo the harm of an administration that has made stripping legal status from Black, brown, and Muslim immigrants a defining feature of its agenda. The communities CUSP represents – African, Afro-Caribbean, Arab and Middle Eastern, and Asian and Pacific Islander TPS holders – have watched this administration come for us country by country. We are not interchangeable, and we will not be picked off one at a time. Whatever the Supreme Court decides in the Haiti and Syria cases, we will keep fighting in the courts, in Congress, and in our communities until every TPS holder has permanent status and the freedom to stay, work, and thrive in the country they call home,” said Carolyn Tran, Executive Director of Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP).
“The Trump administration’s discriminatory and xenophobic campaign to end TPS aims to deny Black immigrants their constitutional rights. While the Court has provided Somali TPS holders a reprieve, there is much more work to do to ensure that the Somali community and all Black immigrants are free from racial targeting,” said Kacey Mordecai, Senior Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund. “We will continue to tirelessly defend the Somali community, and all Black immigrants, from discrimination.”
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Mullin v. Dahlia Doe and Trump v. Miot, two class-action lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to terminate TPS for hundreds of thousands of people from Syria and Haiti. The decision could also impact more than 1.3 million TPS holders from all 17 currently TPS-designated countries.
Media Contact:
Sadaf Hasan, Muslim Advocates, sadaf@muslimadvocates.org
Troi Barnes, Legal Defense Fund, media@naacpldf.org
Souzen Joseph, Haitian Bridge Alliance, media@haitianbridge.org
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