Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the case Miot, et al. v. Trump before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The coalition opposes efforts by the Trump administration to overturn a lower court’s decision that postponed the termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation while litigation continues.
“Ending the vital protections provided by TPS would risk the health and safety of Haitian immigrants who have contributed greatly to our state and national economies,” Raoul said. “I join my colleagues in asking the court to extend these protections.”
TPS is a humanitarian immigration status created by Congress for foreign nationals unable to return safely to their home countries due to war, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions. Haitians have been eligible for TPS since 2010 after a major earthquake struck Haiti, with extensions granted because of ongoing unsafe conditions such as violence, homelessness and starvation.
On November 28, 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to end Haiti’s TPS designation effective February 3, 2026. This was done without evidence that conditions had improved in Haiti; at that time, the U.S. State Department still classified Haiti as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” its highest risk level. On February 2, 2026, a federal judge stayed this decision just before it was set to take effect, allowing Haitians to retain TPS while legal challenges proceeded. The federal government appealed this order on February 6 and requested permission from the appellate court to move forward with ending TPS despite the district court’s ruling.
In their brief, Raoul and his counterparts argue that ending TPS for Haitians would separate families and negatively impact local economies and workforces. They also contend it would increase health care costs and harm public health and safety. Many TPS recipients are employed as health care providers, teachers, entrepreneurs and construction workers across various states.
The brief notes that removing legal status from these individuals could force them into uncertainty or require them to return to dangerous conditions in Haiti. According to recent estimates cited in their argument, Haitian TPS holders contribute $3.4 billion annually to the U.S. economy; about 69% of Haitian immigrants aged 16 or older were active in the civilian labor force in 2022 with significant participation in healthcare support and service industries; approximately 75,000 work in sectors facing labor shortages.
Raoul is joined by attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office advocates for vulnerable groups including immigrants through various protective services offered statewide (official website). The office handles consumer complaints each year (official website), works with law enforcement agencies on crime victim support (official website), promotes safer communities (official website), provides resources on issues like identity theft (official website), offers complaint filing services for civil rights matters (official website) and extends advocacy efforts throughout Illinois (official website).
