15 State Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Opposing TPS Termination for Nepalis, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans

Fifteen state Attorneys General, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, have filed an amicus brief in the case National TPS Alliance v. Noem. The brief aims to defend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

The brief challenges the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for approximately 60,000 immigrants from these three countries. Submitted in federal court, it opposes the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decisions to end TPS protections, highlighting the severe economic and humanitarian consequences for immigrant communities. The Attorneys General urge the court to issue a preliminary injunction to halt these actions.

The TPS program, established by Congress in 1990, is a critical humanitarian lifeline. It grants temporary legal status to immigrants from countries deemed unsafe due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions, allowing them to live and work legally in the United States.

On June 6, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of TPS for Nepal, affecting approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for over a decade following the catastrophic 2015 earthquakes. On July 8, Noem announced the termination of TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua, impacting 51,000 and 2,900 immigrants, respectively. These individuals have held TPS status since 1999 due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. Collectively, these terminations threaten to strip legal status from more than 60,000 individuals who have built lives and contributed to the civic and economic fabric of the U.S. for decades.

In a press release, New York Attorney General James stated, “New York is proudly home to a large, vibrant immigrant community. Revoking TPS for 60,000 people will do nothing except cause chaos throughout New York and other states and stoke fear in immigrant communities. By eliminating their legal status, this administration is putting thousands of New Yorkers in danger and breaking up families across the country.”

Similarly, Massachusetts Attorney General Campbell emphasized the coalition’s commitment to protecting TPS holders, noting that the terminations would cause profound harm to thousands of families and disrupt state economies.

The Office of Attorney General Letitia James stated in its press release that TPS holders from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua face devastating choices if the terminations proceed: returning alone to countries plagued by danger and instability, leaving families behind; relocating U.S. citizen family members to unfamiliar and potentially unsafe countries; or remaining in the U.S. without legal status, unable to work legally and at risk of deportation.

In 2022, approximately 68,000 U.S. citizens lived with Honduran TPS holders, 13,000 with Nicaraguan TPS holders, and 23,000 with Nepali TPS holders, totaling over 100,000 U.S. citizens in mixed-status households now facing the risk of family separation, according to the press release.

New York, home to approximately 56,800 TPS holders from various countries, including the largest Nepali immigrant population in Queens County, stands to face significant disruption. The Attorneys General argue that TPS holders are integral to state workforces and economies, and revoking their status would cause widespread economic harm and community instability. The coalition urges the court to postpone the TPS terminations to protect these communities from immediate harm.

Joining Attorneys General James and Campbell in filing the brief are the Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.