April 29, 2026

Contact: 

Palmira Figueroa, NDLON,pfigueroa@ndlon.org 
Martin Pineda, Carecen-LA, MPineda@carecen-la.org
Souzen Joseph, Haitian Bridge Alliance, SJoseph@haitianbridge.org
Chanea Davis, chdavis@wearecasa.org

They came to tell the Court: Do not let the Trump Administration break the law by taking our home from us. Do not let them kill TPS, the Temporary Protected Status program, the humanitarian law that has allowed us to build our lives and protect our families in the United States. Do not let Donald Trump defy Congress to satisfy his authoritarian whims and hatred of Black and brown people. Stand up for justice and decency.

Inside the Court building, lawyers for TPS holders from Haiti and Syria argued that the Administration had unlawfully tossed aside rules and procedures aside in its rush to deny protection to people from what the Racist-in-Chief calls “shithole countries.”

Inside was the legal and technical argument. Outside were the arguments for justice, decency and humanity. On a gray, chilly day, immigrants and their families and allies played music, sang, danced and gave testimonies about how TPS had changed – and saved – their lives.

Sandhya Lama, a TPS holder from Nepal and a plaintiff, spoke for many when she said: “Home is not just where you’re born. It’s where you build your life.”

She told the audience: “I came today to defend TPS for all. TPS has allowed my family to thrive with hope, stability, and safety. It has given me the ability to support my family and ensure critical medical care for my child, who lives with a severe, life-threatening food allergy that requires constant treatment. Home is not just where you’re born, it’s where you build your life. Losing TPS would put my child’s health and our family’s stability at serious risk.”

Denis, a TPS holder from Cameroon, said: 

“Through TPS I have cared for my family and remain fully present in the life I have built here as a father, a caretaker, and a member of my community. Coming from Cameroon, I found safety and have spent years contributing through work, responsibility, and everyday commitment to those around me. We are a part of the fabric of this country now and we are keeping communities strong and connected. Our lives are already here—in our homes, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoo6ds. Home is not just where you’re born—it’s where you build your life. We are part of this country’s story, and our voices will continue to be heard.”

Francis, a TPS holder from Honduras, said:

“Years of union work taught me the meaning of solidarity, and my leadership with the National TPS Alliance has deepened my commitment to protecting families who live and work in this country with strength and determination. Losing status is not an abstract idea for us—it means living with constant uncertainty, the fear of separation, and the weight of being pushed into the shadows despite the lives we have built here with our families. And yet, even in that reality, our resilience is unwavering. We are parents raising children, workers sustaining communities, and neighbors who refuse to disappear. TPS holders are part of this nation’s present and future, and we continue forward with the conviction that our families deserve stability, our lives deserve recognition, and our voices will not be silenced.”

Viles Dorsainvil, a Haitian TPS holder, plaintiff in a legal challenge to the termination of TPS for Haiti, and Co-Founder and Executive Director, Haitian Support Center, said: 

“We are here because we know what is at stake. We know the fear of an uncertain future. The question before the court is not only a legal one, but a moral one. We urge a decision that reflects our values. I will continue to stand and advocate for a permanent and dignified solution for all those who call this country home.”

Jose Palma of the National TPS Alliance, and a TPS Holder from El Salvador said: 

“TPS has allowed me to build a life with stability and purpose. As a coordinator with the National TPS Alliance, I work alongside thousands of TPS holders who contribute every day to their communities and to this country. We are workers, parents, and neighbors who have built our lives here over many years. Home is not just where you’re born—it’s where you build your life. Ending TPS would put millions of people at risk and separate families who belong here.”

Accompanying the testimony, NDLON’s day-laborer band, Los Jornaleros del Norte, performed along with artists from Haiti, Syrian, El Salvador and Ethiopia. People carried signs and banners proclaiming “Human Dignity Has No Deadline” and “End Cruelty – Restore TPS.” One sign had the immigrants’ rallying cry – “Only the people save the people” – written in the languages and alphabets of several TPS countries.

Trump’s Homeland Security Department has terminated TPS for 13 of the 17 TPS countries: Haiti, Syria, Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen. Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments involved two separate lawsuits, Mullin v. Dahlia Doe and Trump v. Miot, challenging the Administration’s cancellation of TPS for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians.

The Syrian plaintiffs were represented by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Muslim Advocates, and Van Der Hout LLP alongside the ACLU of Northern California, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). Haitian plaintiffs were  represented by Just Futures Law, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP), Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli & Pratt, and Giskan, Solataroff & Anderson.

The Court’s decision will almost certainly have consequences for the entire TPS population—roughly 1.3 million people from 17 countries. A ruling is expected in June.

Members of the press can find pictures and video of the action outside the court HERE, and a press release quoting the legal team and plaintiffs HERE.

• Fact sheet about the case: HERE
• Background on the Syria TPS case: HERE
• Background on the Haiti TPS case: HERE
• Amicus briefs in support of TPS: HERE and HERE
• Resources for TPS holders: HERE
• Photos of Event: HERE
  
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