Judge Ana Reyes Lifts TPS Block for 350,000 Haitians on August 5

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes formally lifted her court order on August 5, 2026, allowing the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitians. The move follows a June Supreme Court decision that reversed Reyes’s earlier February ruling blocking the termination. Haitian TPS holders can no longer legally work and are now subject to deportation to a country the U.S. State Department has warned is dangerous and unstable.

Why Judge Reyes reversed course

In February 2026, Judge Reyes issued an order halting the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation. The Supreme Court reversed that ruling in late June, limiting the ability of TPS beneficiaries to challenge termination decisions through procedural claims. On August 5, Reyes wrote in a brief order that her stay on the termination “is no longer in effect,” implementing the high court’s decision.

What happens to Haitian workers now

About 200,000 Haitians with TPS hold jobs in health care, food service, warehousing, retail, and long-term caregiving, according to FWD.us analysis of government data. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already begun targeting TPS holders, including fitting some with ankle monitors. DHS Secretary Markwaye Mullin told NewsNation this week, “We’re going after them right now.” Affected workers face a choice: attempt underground work while fearing arrest, or return to Haiti amid gang violence and poverty.

Where the impact will be felt most

The termination is expected to hit Miami, Boston, Columbus Ohio, and Allentown Pennsylvania hardest. In Salisbury Maryland, roughly 10% of the 33,000 residents are Haitian, many employed in farming, caregiving, and poultry plants. Church attendance has dropped sharply as residents fear leaving their homes. Hospitals and nursing homes are preparing for staffing shortages by raising sign-on bonuses and recruiting from high schools and community colleges.

Litigation continues despite the lifted block

Judge Reyes denied the government’s request to halt discovery in the ongoing case and ordered both sides to submit a new briefing schedule. Attorneys representing Haitian TPS holders said they will continue to pursue constitutional claims. The case remains active in federal court, and another federal judge in New York is expected soon to formally end TPS for an estimated 6,000 Syrians under the same Supreme Court ruling.

Final Thoughts

Judge Reyes’s August 5 order removes the final legal barrier to deporting 350,000 Haitians, most of whom have worked legally in the U.S. for years. The ruling exposes a sharp contradiction: the U.S. government warns Americans not to travel to Haiti due to gang violence and kidnapping, yet is now forcing Haitians back to those same conditions.

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