Dozens of Haitian municipal workers in New York City were terminated from their employment on July 24, following the expiration of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows the federal government to revoke such protections. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the firings, stating that the city was compelled to act due to federal law and that he is unable to reverse the decision.
City Hall officials acknowledged that at least dozens of workers were affected but did not provide a precise total. The terminations occurred on the same day their TPS status officially ended. Mamdani emphasized that only the federal government, specifically by an action from former President Trump, has the authority to reinstate TPS or grant deferred enforcement departure for those affected.
The TPS program permits individuals from countries experiencing humanitarian crises to live and work in the United States. Approximately 350,000 people from Haiti and Syria were beneficiaries of this program. The work permits for Syrian immigrants under TPS were set to expire on July 17.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the statute governing TPS does not permit judicial review, effectively preventing lower courts from blocking the federal government's attempts to end the program. A federal judge recently acknowledged that a prior court order blocking the termination of TPS for hundreds of thousands of Haitians was no longer in effect due to the Supreme Court's ruling.
Mamdani stated that he has been advocating directly to the president to reinstate protections for Haitian nationals. He described the conditions in Haiti as comparable to those that initially led to the authorization of TPS, noting that the U.S. government currently advises Americans against travel to the country. Despite the firings, City Hall has stated it will provide support to TPS recipients, including legal consultations and assistance from city agencies. The announcement of the firings was shared via an email statement to reporters on Friday evening, following the mayor's conversation with the president.