The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a challenge to the Trump administration's decision to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian refugees and others protected under the program.
The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines in a case challenging the decision by former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to end TPS for Syrian and Haitian nationals. Haitian refugees in Springfield were the subject of racist attacks by Trump as he campaigned for a second term as president in 2024.
Justice Samuel Alito in his majority opinion that "none of the cited statements by either the President or the Secretary was overtly racial, and in substance all expressed policy views that could rest on race-neutral justifications."
Alito was referring to statements the two made after Trump took office after the decision to end TPS was made. He said that in viewing all the relevant evidence, those arguing in favor of keeping TPS for the refugees "are unlikely to prove that race was a motivating factor in the decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation, and it follows that they are not entitled to interim relief on their equal protection claim."
The decision is likely to impact tens of thousands of Haitian refugees in Springfield and Columbus.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
