2026-02-18

Signaled The appellate phase of the Haiti Temporary Protected Status litigation remains active at the D.C. Circuit Court. Judge Reyes indicated a written ruling by February 19. An 18-state Attorney General coalition formally filed an amicus brief on February 16 urging the court to block TPS termination. States and unions have separately filed additional amicus submissions on the same grounds. Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez issued a local government statement on February 17 providing TPS credential guidance for Haitian nationals, indicating municipal-level preparation for multiple potential outcomes is underway. The federal government has openly signaled that, if unsuccessful at the D.C. Circuit, it will seek Supreme Court review. This two-stage litigation posture means that even a favorable D.C. Circuit ruling for TPS holders does not resolve the matter -- it escalates it to a higher and less predictable February 18, 2026 forum. For employers and individuals relying on TPS employment authorization, documents remain valid unless a court explicitly orders otherwise. That legal baseline holds as of this reporting period. The 525,000 Dominican Republic deportation figure carries parallel implications for the diaspora dimension of this analysis. Haitian diaspora communities in the United States face simultaneous pressure from potential TPS termination and the humanitarian emergency affecting family members being expelled from the Dominican Republic. The two pressures compound in diaspora advocacy networks and political organizing contexts ahead of the US-Haiti policy environment that will shape the electoral support landscape.