Amicus Brief Outlines How Ending Temporary Protected Status Could Erode Trust in Law Enforcement, Making Cities Less Safe
Under Adams Administration, New York City Has Helped Complete More Than 111,000 Applications for Temporary Protected Status, Work Authorization, and Asylum
The City of New York — as part of a coalition of 13 local governments from across the United States — has taken action to safeguard Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran, Nepali, and Nicaraguan immigrants by filing an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in National TPS Alliance v. Noem. The brief opposes the effort by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to strip TPS status for these groups — threatening their legal status in the U.S. — and highlights the devastating consequences to TPS holders and the communities in which they live.
“Our administration has skillfully managed a humanitarian crisis that has seen over 237,000 asylum seekers and migrants come to New York City seeking care, and we managed this crisis by showing dignity and respect, including by helping over 111,000 apply for work authorization, asylum, and TPS,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Temporary Protected Status is one of the crucial tools the federal government has to help asylum seekers and migrants contribute to our society lawfully. We are proud to stand up for the immigrant communities who are the fabric of our society and ensure that New York City continues to be a safe city for all.”
“Temporary Protected Status holders are deeply woven into the fabric of our nation,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “As detailed in this brief, abruptly ending their Temporary Protected Status will sow chaos among thousands of families and undermine the safety and economic well-being of the broader community.”
“Generations of immigrants have built the New York City we know and love,” said Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro. “Revoking TPS would devastate tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have lived, worked, and raised families here for years. These are our neighbors, coworkers, and essential community members. Stripping them of legal status and work authorization would not only be cruel, it would destabilize our city. We urge the federal government to act with urgency to protect families impacted by this, including passage of long overdue comprehensive immigration reform.”
DHS has moved to terminate Nepal’s designation for TPS protection, revoking TPS from approximately 7,200 Nepali immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for the decade since the catastrophic 2015 earthquake in the South Asian nation. DHS also announced it would terminate TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua, revoking the status of 51,000 and 2,900 immigrants, respectively. TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua were first granted TPS status in 1999 due to the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch. In total, the three TPS terminations strip more than 60,000 people of the legal status that has enabled them to participate in and contribute to the economic well-being of their communities in the United States, including here in New York City.
The brief — submitted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — argues that ending TPS for these communities would cause significant harm to local economies, public health systems, and public safety, and would result in widespread family separation with devastating human consequences. Additionally, the coalition argues that TPS holders are critical to local economies, with labor force participation rates exceeding national averages, and ending TPS would erode trust in law enforcement, forcing immigrant communities into the shadows and making them less likely to report crime.
Further, the coalition notes that over 260,000 U.S. children who are U.S. citizens live with TPS-holders, and ending the program could result in these families being separated, as well as lasting psychological harm to children. Finally, the coalition asserts that loss of legal status will lead to loss of health insurance for TPS holders, resulting in more emergency room visits and reliance on public health systems, which would lead to increased costs for local governments.
The amicus brief was filed in support of the plaintiffs’ motion to delay the implementation of TPS, currently set to expire for Nepal on August 5, 2025, and for Honduras and Nicaragua on September 8, 2025.
Since the first asylum seekers arrived in the spring of 2022, New York City has continued to focus on the support needed to help migrants take their next steps towards self-sufficiency. The city’s Asylum Application Help Center — a first-in-the-nation entity — helped complete more than 111,000 applications for TPS, work authorization, and asylum. Additionally, the New York City Department of Small Business Services and workforce development teams have connected this population to hundreds of job opportunities. The Adams administration’s case management and resettlement teams — in conjunction with teams across multiple city agencies — continue to find creative ways to assist recent arrivals through direct outreach, resource fairs, and onsite English as a Second Language courses at shelters, to name a few examples.
Over 90 percent of eligible adult asylum seekers or migrants who are in the city’s care either have or have applied for work authorization thanks to the Adams administration’s efforts. The city has also purchased more than 65,000 tickets to help migrants exit the shelter system and reach their preferred destinations, as it also helps reduce the long-term costs for New York City taxpayers. Additionally, staff have conducted nearly 1 million case management meetings with migrants, dedicated to helping them identify self-sufficient pathways out of city shelter, in addition to implementing the city’s 30- and 60-day notice policies.
As a result, more than 200,000 migrants who requested services from the city in the last three years have taken the next steps in their journeys towards self-sufficiency. Since intensive case management services began in October 2023, 71 percent of families with children in humanitarian centers have left the shelter system. Additionally, Mayor Adams successfully reduced the city’s asylum seeker spending over Fiscal Year 2024 through Fiscal Year 2026 by more than $5.2 billion.
The City of New York joined the brief — which was led by the Los Angeles County — alongside the following jurisdictions: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica, San Francisco (city/county), and West Hollywood, California; Boulder County, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Sommerville, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland Oregon; and Providence, Rhode Island.
