Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general opposing the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) unlawful and baseless attempt to strip temporary protected status (TPS) from Honduran, Nepali and Nicaraguan immigrants. The TPS program is a critical humanitarian lifeline established by Congress in 1990 that protects immigrants from being returned to countries that have been deemed unsafe, allowing them to work and build a life in the United States. In an amicus brief filed in National TPS Alliance v. Noem, Raoul and the coalition highlight the devastating economic and humanitarian consequences of ending these TPS protections and urge the court to postpone the proposed actions.

“People with temporary protected status have fled trauma and extreme hardship and are now working and contributing to their communities across the country,” Raoul said. “I am proud to join my fellow attorneys general in asking the court to preserve their protected status and keep their families from being torn apart.”

On June 6, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate Nepal’s designation for TPS protection, revoking TPS for Nepali immigrants who have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for more than a decade since the catastrophic 2015 earthquakes. On July 8, Secretary Noem announced DHS would also terminate TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua. TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua, who were granted TPS status in 1999 due to the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch, have built their lives in the United States for more than 25 years. In total, the three TPS terminations would strip more than 60,000 people of the legal status that has enabled them to participate in and strengthen the civic life and economy of the United States.

 The attorneys general warn that thousands of families of Honduran, Nepali and Nicaraguan TPS holders across their states will be profoundly harmed if the terminations are not postponed. More than 100,000 U.S. citizens lived in mixed-status households with people who are now at risk of losing their legal status, potentially leading to devastating family separations.

Raoul and the attorneys general are urging the court to issue preliminary relief by postponing these revocations and protecting immigrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua. 

 Joining Attorney General Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Vermont.