In Two Friend-of-the-Court Briefs, 18 states and 34 Local Jurisdictions Advocated on Behalf of More than 300,000 Individuals Who Face Imminent Deportation and Their Families at Risk of Separation
August 30, 2018 — Yesterday, states and local jurisdictions filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of plaintiffs in the case of Ramos v. Nielsen, which challenges the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. TPS holders have lived legally in the United States for years, and often decades, but stand to lose their legal status as early as November 2 without court intervention.
The briefs highlight the harms imposed by the termination of TPS on families, the economy, public revenues, public safety, and public health. In leading the amicus briefs from 18 states, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, “We will not stand idly by as our neighbors and colleagues are ripped from their families. We will continue to fight for TPS holders, our public safety, and our thriving economy.”
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring affirmed, “I will fight for TPS holders and work to stop them from being unfairly or unjustly deported.” Plaintiffs in the case seek to enjoin the planned TPS terminations as violations of the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The plaintiffs are represented by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the ACLU of Southern California, and the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP.
The states who signed onto the amicus briefs are: California, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The local jurisdictions who joined an amicus brief are: Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County, California; Alameda, California; Alexandria, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Gary, Indiana; Holyoke, Massachusetts; Iowa City; Iowa; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Salinas, California; New York City, New York; North Miami, Florida; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; Sacramento, California; Saint Paul, Minnesota; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; Seattle, Washington; Somerville, Massachusetts; South Bend, Indiana; Tucson, Arizona; and Manhattan Beach, California.
Read the amicus briefs here. Also available are other legal filings, plaintiffs’ stories and newly released government documents.
For interviews or media availability of plaintiffs & attorneys, contact Armando Carmona at 323-250-3018 or armando@ndlon.org.
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