Hundreds descend on US Supreme Court for TPS hearing; decision pending

Supporters inside and outside the courtroom followed arguments about Homeland Security’s moves to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians
by The Haitian Times Apr. 29, 2026
Overview:
Scores of immigrants, advocates and supporters rallied outside the Supreme Court as justices heard arguments over the Trump administration’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians. The case centers on whether the Department of Homeland Security followed required legal procedures in its decision to end TPS.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump’s past derogatory statements calling Haiti a “s**hole” country and blaming Black and brown immigrants for “poisoning the blood of America” and having “bad genes” came back to haunt government lawyers on Wednesday as they defended the administration’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians.
Meanwhile, scores of immigrants, their advocates and other supporters held a pro-TPS rally outside of the country’s highest court as the justices heard arguments from the government defending the Department of Homeland Security’s controversial decision to end TPS.
The main issue is where DHS, under then-Secretary Kristi Noem, followed the legal procedures to determine whether Haiti and Syria were still facing the disastrous conditions that qualified immigrants from those countries to receive TPS. The court’s decision is expected by late June or early July.
Wednesday’s rally is part of a coordinated campaign that includes an array of groups filing amicus briefs to support keeping TPS in place and introducing a bill in Congress to keep the program active through 2027.
“Everyone is covering all bases,” said Claudette David, of Faith in Action International, which was among the groups that filed a supporting brief with the court.
On Wednesday, she was there with about 100 people at about 9:30 a.m., just before the arguments began.
“Right now, there is a feeling of excitement and camaraderie,” she said during a phone interview after leaving the gathering. “You see Haitians out there, you see Hispanics out there, you see white people, white Americans – everyone’s