The largest property service workers’ local union in the United States on Tuesday, July 1, welcomed a federal judge’s ruling in Brooklyn in favor of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants.

32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) sued the Trump administration, citing Trump’s “illegal efforts to vacate the Biden administration’s designation and expose hundreds of thousands of hard-working people, many of whom have spent decades living and working in the US, to deportation within just two months.

“Now, Haitian TPS holders are expected to retain their status through at least 2026,” 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich told Caribbean Life. “Today’s victory shows not only that we can fight back, but we can win.

“We are proud to have represented our Haitian members and the broader Haitian community – and we are grateful to our union brother, Gerald Michaud, and his wife Nadége, for leading the way,” he added. “Thanks to today’s victory, Haiti’s TPS designation will run through February 3, 2026, at least.

“And while the fight is far from over, this is an important step,” Pastreich continued. “We will keep fighting to make sure this decision is upheld.

“We will keep fighting for the rights of our members and all immigrants against the Trump administration – in the streets, in the workplace, and in the courts as well,” he said. “And when we fight, we win.”

With more than 185,000 members across 12 states and Washington, D.C., 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.

32BJ SEIU said its members hail from 64 different countries and speak 28 different languages.

On Friday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of TPS, leaving over 500,000 Haitians without work permits and facing deportation.

The temporary parole program would expire for Haitians on August 3, 2025, and the termination would take effect on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

But, in his ruling on Tuesday, US District Judge Brian Cogan said that “Secretary Noem does not have statutory or inherent authority to partially vacate a country’s TPS designation.”

Therefore, Judge Cogan ruled that Noem’s “partial vacatur must be set aside as unlawful under the (Administrative Procedure Act.).”

He said that “plaintiffs’ injuries are actual and imminent,” stating that “they cannot be remedied by an award of money damages.

“If the partial vacatur remains in effect until the final resolution of this case, plaintiffs will lose their right to live and work in the United States based on what the Court has already found was an unlawful action,” Judge Cogan added.

On Sunday, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair, New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn joined widespread condemnation of Trump’s termination of TPS for Haiti amid the French-speaking Caribbean country’s escalating humanitarian catastrophe.

“I am devastated by this cruel and ill-timed decision, and my eyes are welling with tears for the thousands of Haitian families who will be affected—many of whom have lived in the United States for years, raised US-born children, and become foundational members of our communities,” Bichotte, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life.

“This is a grave mistake that will have devastating and far-reaching consequences, not only for Haitian nationals, but for the moral standing of the United States,” she added. “Countless Haitian immigrants who have built their lives here—through honest work, service, and sacrifice—are now being told that their presence is no longer welcome.

“They are being asked to return to a country in collapse and disarray not by choice, but by force,” Bichotte Hermelyn continued. “This is not just about immigration policy. It is about justice, humanity, and our national identity.”

Attorney General James, who is considered a national leader in legal action against the TPS revocation, forcefully denounced the sudden termination.

“The federal administration’s decision to end Haitian TPS is wrong and shameful,” she told Caribbean Life. “This cruel action puts our Haitian neighbors in danger, tears families apart, and damages our economy.

“The Haitian community is a rich source of pride and strength for New York, and I will continue to fight for their rights and well-being, alongside Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.

“The Department of Homeland Security has stated that conditions in Haiti have improved. But that assertion is dangerously detached from the truth,” she added. “Haiti remains under a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory by the US, Department of State, citing life-threatening gang violence, kidnappings, and the absence of any reliable government infrastructure.

“If our own federal government deems Haiti unsafe for American citizens to visit, how can we justify deporting vulnerable families to the very same conditions?” asked James, urging the Trump administration to “promptly reconsider this decision and extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals.

Additionally, the New York Attorney General urged the US Congress to enact legislation that grants permanent legal status to TPS holders, who have “consistently demonstrated their value.”