New York Attorney General Letitia James, on Monday, April 13, co-led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), urging the court to uphold the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria who have been living in the U.S. for years.

An amicus brief, otherwise known as a “friend-of-the-court” brief, is a legal document submitted to an appellate court by non-parties — individuals, organizations, or government entities — who have a strong interest in a case.

Legal experts say these briefs provide specialized information, legal arguments, or perspectives that the main litigants may not have presented, aiming to guide the court’s decision.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Trump administration’s “unlawful attempt” to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants threatens the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country, disrupting states’ economies and jeopardizing the futures of immigrants’ US citizen children.

James told Caribbean Life that the coalition is urging the Supreme Court to uphold lower court decisions that have postponed the termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.

“For generations, we have welcomed those fleeing danger in their home countries to build a safe and prosperous life in the United States,” she said. “Immigrants with TPS hold valuable roles in our communities as business owners, workers, teachers, and parents. We will continue to stand against the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to cancel their legal status and tear families apart.”

The New York Attorney General said the United States has a long history of providing a safe haven to those who have escaped armed conflict, natural disasters, and repressive conditions.

She said TPS allows immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries to live and work in the U.S. It has been extended to immigrants from Haiti since 2010 and Syria since 2012.

James said New York is home to tens of thousands of TPS holders, including at least 5,400 Haitian TPS holders in New York City.

Nationwide, she said, there are about 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians with TPS.

James said that in 2025, the Trump administration moved to terminate TPS for Haiti, Syria, and several other countries, an action she calls “illegal.”

Attorney General James and the coalition argue in their brief that Haitian and Syrian TPS holders “contribute substantially to their communities and their states’ economies.

“Tens of thousands of Haitian TPS holders work in health care and other critical services, particularly in New York, where TPS holders fill valuable roles as home health aides,” they say. “Syrian immigrants own businesses at more than triple the rate of U.S.-born citizens, and Syrian TPS holders contribute US$165 million annually to the US economy. Haitian TPS holders contribute $3.4 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

“Terminating TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants would put hundreds of thousands of families at risk by forcing vulnerable immigrants to either remain in the U.S. without a secure legal status or return to dangerous conditions in their home countries,” they added.

The coalition notes that the Trump administration has designated conditions in Haiti and Syria as “extremely dangerous.

“The State Department warns Americans not to travel to either country due to the risk of violence, terrorism, civil unrest, and limited health care – the very conditions that prompted TPS protections for residents of these countries in the first place,” the coalition stated.

“Terminating TPS would force TPS holder parents to choose between abandoning their children born in America and returning to their home country alone, taking their families with them to a dangerous and unfamiliar country, or remaining in the U.S. without legal status and with the constant fear that they could be forcibly separated and deported at any time,” it added.

Attorney General James and the coalition also argue that terminating TPS would increase public health and safety risks in their states.

“Ending the legal status for hundreds of thousands of workers would cause many to lose their health insurance, putting themselves and their families at greater risk and increasing health care costs for states,” they said. “Without legal status, many TPS holders would be unwilling to visit a hospital or doctor’s office for fear of encountering immigration enforcement officers.

“TPS holders would also be less willing to report crimes to law enforcement or serve as witnesses at trial, increasing public safety risks in their communities,” they added, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold lower court orders postponing the federal government’s termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.

Joining James in filing this brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, and the District of Columbia.

In March, Attorney General James co-led a coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold TPS for Haitians.

The month before, she co-led a similar coalition filing an amicus brief supporting TPS for Haitians at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

In November 2025, James led 15 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of TPS for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants.