Judge blocks end of protections for Haitians
By: Bethany Bruner
Columbus Dispatch
USA Today Network
..... A federal judge issued a last-minute reprieve on February 2, [2026] blocking President Donald Trump's attempt to end temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrations in the United States.
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The status, which allows about 350,000Haitian immigrants to legally live and work in the United States, had been set to expire on February 3. [2026]
..... U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, Ana Reyes, issued a ruling postponing the effective date of the Trump administration's cancellation of temporary protected status for Haitians. The extension is a result of a case filed in July [2025] in that court.
..... The temporary protected status, also refereed to as TPS, for Haitian immigrants previously was extended by a federal court from an expiration date of September 3, 2025, to February 3. [2026] The status can be granted to immigrants from countries where there are ongoing armed conflicts, environmental disasters, epidemics or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
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Reyes' ruling says the termination of the TPS is "mull, void and of no legal effect" and will not impact the work authorization of Haitian immigrants. those with TPS will also be protected from detention or deportation for the length of the judicial stay.
..... The Haitian immigrate population in Springfield, Ohio, drew national attention during the 2024 presidential campaign when Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who at the time was a Republican senator representing Ohio, spread false claims that immigrants from Haiti who lived there were eating pets. Springfield is home to about 15,000 Haitian immigrants, and about another 30,000 live in central Ohio.
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The expiration of TPS for Haitian immigrates had led to concerns about surges in immigration enforcement petitions in Springfield and the surrounding area.
..... Ohio Immigration Alliance's Executive Director Lynn Tramonte praised the court decision but said temporary measures don't solve the biggest problem.
..... "This 11th hour reprieve is, of course, welcome. But people can't live their lives like this, pegging their families' futures to a court case," Tramonte said. "Haitian-Ohioans have literally, saved their own lives and their kids; lives, multiple times. They did the hard part. The least this country can do is honor there strength and contributions by giving them a permanent home. that is what many in Ohio are advocating for."
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On January 29, [2026] Reyes filed an entry in the case expressing frustration at not having some informatory before being forced to make a decision. "Through delay (with both parties at varying degree of fault), the Court will not have the benefiter of any discovery prior to the entry of tis decision,: R Eyes wrote. "The Government's concern seems to be the court's speed; the Court notes it concern is parties' lack of it. In the future, the Court will move slower if the parties moved faster."
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Reyes also took issue with the Trump administration's filing of a nine page motion that was no loner relevant tot eh case. "The Government has only itself to blame for wasting time drafting a motion that was moot form the jump," Reyes wrote.