Ana C. Reyes

Rule Changes

Blocked Haiti TPS termination in February 2026

Haitians have lived legally in the United States under a federal humanitarian program since the 2010 earthquake. Syrians have used the same program since their civil war began. On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court spent 80 minutes considering whether the Trump administration can revoke those protections — and whether any court can second-guess the decision.

Updated Apr 29

Rule Changes

Presiding over Haiti TPS litigation

Venezuela first received Temporary Protected Status in 2021, shielding hundreds of thousands of its nationals from deportation. In January 2025, newly appointed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate that protection within days of taking office—an action that two federal courts have now ruled exceeded her statutory authority. On February 3, 2026, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. issued a parallel ruling blocking Noem's termination of Haitian TPS using nearly identical legal reasoning, finding 'substantial' likelihood the decision was motivated by 'hostility to nonwhite immigrants.' The pattern has since expanded: in December 2025, another federal judge blocked terminations for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua on similar grounds, and in November 2025, a New York judge halted the Syria termination. Yet despite these rulings, the Supreme Court has repeatedly stayed lower court orders, allowing terminations to proceed while litigation continues.

Updated Feb 26