The Trump Administration has fired the latest salvo in the back-and-forth court battles concerning the legal status of some 330,000 Haitians residing in the U.S. under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation.

In a two-fisted move, the Justice Dept. asked U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., to lift her stay of the Dept. of Homeland Security order ending the TPS designation for Haitians. In a second move, the Justice Dept. also filed an appeal of the Reyes ruling with the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Last week, Reyes handed a legal victory to the Haitians, effectively blocking any action to end their protected status. Instead, the judge granted a stay maintaining the legal status of Haitian nationals "pending judicial review." 

The Haitian TPS story is of interest to the long-term care sector as Haitians make up large numbers of workers in skilled nursing facilities in South Florida and Massachusetts, among other locales.

Legal experts had said they expect the case to eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. A similar case in San Francisco saw a district court rule that the termination of TPS for Haitians and Venezuelans was done unlawfully. As soon as the decision came out, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court for a stay, which the Supreme Court agreed to until the matter was fully adjudicated.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.