US judge blocks administration bid to end Haitians' protected status

A federal judge in the United States has blocked an attempt by the administration to strip Haitians of their temporary protected status (TPS).

The deportation protection has allowed roughly 350,000 people from the troubled island to live and work in the US.

The ruling – though possibly temporary – has dealt President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration agenda another legal setback.

Washington district judge, Ana Reyes, granted the request to pause the termination of the TPS for Haitians, a day before it was set to lapse, while a lawsuit challenging it goes ahead.

The administration has argued that protection schemes attract illegal immigration and have long been abused.

It has pushed for the dismantling of most TPS programmes, raising the possibility of deportation for hundreds of thousands of migrants.

The status was initially accorded to Haitians following the 2010 earthquake and repeatedly extended since then due to the ongoing security and political crisis in the country.

TPS prevents US officials from deporting immigrants to countries deemed unsafe whether from natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other crises