Alexandra 🫘

Ya think?? 🙄

"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem

has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]

Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

This brings me hope and strength. Amazing.

She is on a different planet.

Happy New Year John! You're one of the people who helped keep me sane in 2025. Let's hope it's not so hard in 2026. 😐 Congratulations on all you're doing and will be doing this year!!

This is mind blowing. 🤮

No kidding!! Even in normal times I quickly lose patience with the constant refrain that the electorate only cares about kitchen-table issues. Maybe it's just me, but my vote is always about much more than that.

When I saw this I thought: They must think the American public is brain-dead. If the political tables were turned and Democrats were trying to pull this b.s., what would the response be? The mind just boggles at the neverending hypocrisy.

You just made my sleep easier. Gotta get some shuteye as I get up way early tomorrow morning to work the polls. Thank you! 😁

Awwww, kids will be kids! They say stupid things and shouldn't be held responsible.🙄

He's truly an embarrassment. USA will need decades to get any respect back.

This would be hilarious if it wasn't so craven. What a dumbass he is.

Not weird. Totally on brand (and thoroughly disgusting).

I think DJT's refusal to choose competent leaders is the worst of his epic failures. Every single person, bar none, is a disaster.

It is truly beyond understanding. He will go down as a cosmic joke of a president.

We have a bit of a natural experiment here. Compare the tone, quantity and duration of Charlie Kirk coverage with that of the two Dem lawmakers gunned down in their homes in Minnesota 6 months ago. May be revealing.

Yep, this. 😂

Wow is the understatement of the century. What an absurd excuse for a judgment (and judge!).

Literally nothing he does is smart.

Stay safe there among the booklovers and foodies!!

He is truly creepy with that sick smile. 🤥

No real leader would permit this ass-kissing for one second. And if anyone tried it twice, they’d be out on their ass.

It's true that political redistricting changes the maps imposed on voters, but there are no lines on the ground or rules at the ballot box. We MUST remind everyone it's the People's power to change the map from the ground up--and finally, someday gerrymandering can be banned nationally. 2/2

Listening to hearings to day in TX and CA I'm struck by a thought. Gerrymandering treats voters as static entities with no agency. The politicians are *so sure* they know how people will vote. Well, let's shout from the rooftops that your address does not dictate how YOU vote! 1/2

No. A new low has been reached and may never be surpassed.

That was harrowing to watch. 🤬

Yep exactly. I think this is what Trump is so scared will come out. Somehow he helped Epstein get that crazy deal in 2007.

This morning CNN wasted time on a piece about how Trump is going to sell the BBB to the public. What a quaint notion! He won’t spend a second on trying to “sell” it to the public; he doesn’t give a shit what the public needs or wants.

This is what democracy looks like. #nokings in Nags Head NC