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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — <\/span>A federal judge on Monday blocked the end of protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live in the U.S., dealing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda another legal, though perhaps temporary, setback.<\/p>\n U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted a request to pause the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The termination, which was set for Tuesday, \u201cshall be null, void, and of no legal effect,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can breathe for a little bit,\u201d said Rose-Thamar Joseph, the operations director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, Ohio.<\/p>\n Reyes said in an 83-page opinion that plaintiffs were likely to prevail on the merits of the case, and that she found it \u201csubstantially likely\u201d that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of \u201chostility to nonwhite immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge, an appointee of President Joe Biden, said Noem did not have \u201cunbounded discretion\u201d and was required to consult with other agencies on conditions in Haiti. The ruling cited Noem’s own words three days after announcing an end to Haitian protections, calling for a travel ban from Haiti and \u201cevery damn country that has been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.\u201d<\/p>\n While the ruling grants temporary relief to Haitians, the next legal steps were unclear. <\/p>\n Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denounced the ruling as \u201clawless activism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaiti\u2019s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago,” she said. \u201cIt was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that\u2019s how previous administrations have used it for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n Temporary Protected Status can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary if conditions in home countries are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangers. While it grants TPS holders the right to live and work in the U.S., it does not provide a legal pathway to citizenship. <\/p>\n Haiti\u2019s TPS status was initially activated in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake and has been extended multiple times. The country is racked by gang violence<\/a> that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has aggressively sought to remove the protection<\/a>, making more people eligible for deportation. The moves are part of the administration\u2019s wider, mass deportation effort<\/a>. <\/p>\n In addition to the migrants from Haiti, Noem has terminated protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans<\/a>, 60,000 people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Some have pending lawsuits in federal courts.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the termination stands, people will almost certainly die,\u201d attorneys for Haitian TPS holders wrote in a court filing in December. \u201cSome will likely be killed, others will likely die from disease<\/a>, and yet others will likely starve to death<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n They say the decision to end Haiti\u2019s status was motivated by racial animus, and Noem failed to consider whether there was an ongoing armed conflict that would pose a \u201cserious threat\u201d to personal safety, as required by law.<\/p>\n DHS said conditions in Haiti had improved. In a court filing in December, attorneys for the administration said the plaintiffs\u2019 claims of racial animus were based on statements \u201ctaken out of context, often from other speakers and from years ago, and without direct links to the Secretary\u2019s determinations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRather, Secretary Noem<\/a> provided reasoned, facially sufficient explanations for her determinations.\u201d they said.<\/p>\n A government notice in November announcing the termination said there had been some positive developments for Haiti, including authorization of a new, multinational force<\/a> to combat gangs. Noem determined allowing Haitians to remain in the U.S. was against the national interest, the notice said. <\/p>\n Jerome Bazard, a member of the First Haitian Evangelical Church of\u202fSpringfield, said it\u2019s still too dangerous for many in his community to return to Haiti.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can\u2019t go to Haiti because it\u2019s not safe. Without the TPS, they can\u2019t work. And if they can\u2019t work, they can’t eat, they can\u2019t pay bills. You\u2019re killing the people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Earlier Monday, two dozen faith leaders and hundreds of congregants in Springfield sang and prayed together in support of Haitian migrants who feared their protected status could end this week. They were hopeful that the federal judge might intervene.<\/p>\n Uncertainty over TPS has deepened worries for the city’s already embattled Haitian community. <\/p>\n Trump denigrated the community<\/a> of about 15,000 Haitians while campaigning in 2024 for a second term, falsely accusing its members of eating their neighbor\u2019s cats and dogs as he pitched voters<\/a> \u202fon his plans for an immigration crackdown. The false claims exacerbated fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment in the mostly white, working class city of about 59,000 people. <\/p>\n