U.S. judge rules in favor of Haitian TPS
July 2, 2025
A U.S. federal judge has ruled against a Trump administration decision to end temporary legal status in the U.S. for Haitians six months early.
The judge determined homeland security secretary Kristi Noem did not follow instructions and a timeline mandated by Congress to reconsider the TPS designation for Haitians.
He also said Haitians’ interests in being able to live and work in the United States “far outweigh” potential harm to the US government, which remains free to enforce immigration laws and terminate TPS status as prescribed by Congress.
About 520,000 people from Haiti living in the United States are eligible for the protected status and about 350,000 have been granted it, according to government figures.
(Miami Herald, Washington Post, Reuters)
More Haiti
Videos on social media paint a terrifying picture of the drone warfare unfolding in Port-au-Prince — as Haiti’s beleaguered government struggles to reconquer the city now almost entirely controlled by the gangs, armed drones have become a key part of their arsenal. Since the drone campaign began in March, at least 300 people have been killed by the remote-control devices and almost 400 injured, reports the Guardian.
Regional Relations
An Argentine court authorized Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who is serving a corruption sentence under house arrest. Lula is expected to arrive in Buenos Aires tonight. (Página 12)
Chile
Communist Party politician Jeanette Jara won the leftist Unidad por Chile coalition primary on Sunday. She represents the hard-left face of the governing Boric administration. “It is still too early to draw firm conclusions, but the hard left may be gaining traction with some voters, leaving the political center increasingly desolate. While Chile is known for its tradition of moderate politics, Jara’s primary win and the emergence of hard-right candidates point to a more polarized run-up to the first-round vote on November 16,” writes Nicolás Saldías in Americas Quarterly.
“Chile’s political system is not particularly radical and pushes policies toward the center, even as analysts yell about polarization and candidates accuse the other side of extremism. Jara is unlikely to win … but if she does, nobody should panic about her presidency. Nobody should be particularly worried about Kast either,” according to James Bosworth in Latin America Risk Report.
Deportations
Even as the U.S. Task Force Vulcan was asked to wind down charges against MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody, so that they could be deported to El Salvador, the unit was directed to divert resources into prosecuting Kilmar Abrego García whose ties to the gang were far more tenuous, but whose case had become a political liability for the Trump administration. “The dueling moves were, among other things, a reflection of how federal law enforcement officers have at times been put in the position of pursuing the Trump administration’s shifting political agenda,” reports the New York Times. (See yesterday’s briefs.)
“If you don’t follow the news, you may think Trump’s crusade against immigrants is just political theater, or is mainly targeting “violent foreign criminals,” as the administration claims. Neither is true. Immigration arrests have more than doubled in 38 states since Trump took office,” reports Andrés Oppenheimer, in a column on how the U.S. immigration raids could dampen next year’s World Cup. (Miami Herald)
Paraguay
The Paraguay Post profiles Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto, who hopes to become Paraguay’s next president, and the Yo Creo movement that hopes to challenge Colorado Party dominance. He’s been suspended for three months as the government carries out an anti-corruption probe that Prieto said is politically motivated.
Culture Corner
Colombian artist and photographer Isabella Madrid explores the ‘click to be saved’ economy of hope in her project, Lucky Girl Syndrome — Guardian