Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced on Apr. 13 that she co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States. The brief supports challenges to the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Haiti and Syria.
The case matters because TPS protects people who cannot safely return to their home countries due to war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. If TPS is terminated, many families could be separated and communities across several states may lose key members of their workforce.
“Massachusetts is proud to be home to tens of thousands of TPS holders who are a critical part of our workforce and economy. The Trump Administration’s attempt to revoke legal status from this community and send children and families to countries experiencing widespread violence and starvation is unlawful and cruel,” said AG Campbell. “I urge the Supreme Court to affirm the rulings that have blocked these terminations and protect states’ economies, health care systems, and public safety.”
TPS was established by Congress as a humanitarian immigration status allowing recipients from designated countries facing unsafe conditions—such as war or disaster—to live and work in the United States while those conditions persist. Haitian immigrants have been eligible since a devastating earthquake in 2010; Syrian immigrants since civil war erupted in 2012.
According to Campbell’s office, both Haiti and Syria remain classified by the U.S. State Department as “Level 4: Do Not Travel” nations due to ongoing violence, food insecurity, limited access to health care, homelessness, starvation, or risk against civilians. Despite these warnings, the Trump Administration moved in November 2025 to terminate TPS for both groups without evidence that conditions had improved.
The brief argues that ending TPS would separate families, damage state economies by depleting essential workers—including health care providers—and harm public safety overall. In Massachusetts alone, tens of thousands hold Haitian TPS status; many serve vital roles such as front-line nursing home staff or caregivers for vulnerable populations through state agencies.
Campbell co-led submission of this brief with attorneys general from California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey Oregon Rhode Island Virginia Vermont Washington.
