03-03-2025
Mass. Haitian, Venezuelan groups sue Trump administration, claiming racial bias, unlawful rollback of TPS protection
'This racial bias translates directly into policy, both through executive action that disfavors Black and Latino immigrants — such as the TPS decisions at issue here — and action that favors white immigrants instead," lawyers wrote in the complaint. 'The Constitution forbids this type of biased decision-making.'
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Lawyers for Civil Rights is representing Haitian Americans United, Inc., the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, and the UndocuBlack Network in the case.
When Trump entered office for a second term, TPS for Haiti was set to expire on Feb. 3, 2026, and for Venezuela on Oct. 2, 2026. His administration is now attempting to accelerate those expirations to Aug. 3 and April 2, 2025, respectively.
TPS is a humanitarian program that gives immigrants from 17 countries who are facing violence or devastation such as natural disasters
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According to US Census data, Massachusetts has the second-largest Haitian population in the United States, behind Florida. As of last September, 35,320 people in Massachusetts had TPS; US Representative Ayanna Pressley, whose Boston-based district includes some predominantly Haitian communities, has previously estimated some
Haiti has been designated under TPS since 2010 and Venezuela since 2021.
Last month,
The new legal battle mirrors lawsuits against Trump during his first term after he sought to revoke TPS for immigrants from Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Nepal, and Sudan. Lawyers challenging Trump at the time similarly argued Trump's TPS moves were done for racist reasons and was therefore illegal.
The issue was stalled in the courts beyond Trump's term, and then-President Biden ultimately rescinded the orders and extended the temporary protected status for immigrants from those countries.
Sean Cotter and Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at
