WASHINGTON

A US federal judge on Monday stopped the Trump administration from revoking protections for an estimated 350,000 Haitians.

District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, DC blocked the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians while the courts consider a lawsuit contesting the move.

"Plaintiffs charge that (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely," Reyes wrote in the ruling.

TPS is a humanitarian program that offers temporary legal status and work authorization to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions that make return unsafe.

Haiti’s TPS designation was first established in 2010 following a devastating earthquake and has been renewed several times.

Haiti has faced years of gang violence and political turmoil which escalated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.