A federal judge, Ana Reyes (U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.), read aloud death threats and profane messages she received after ruling that the Trump administration cannot immediately end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians while a lawsuit proceeds. At a Thursday hearing, she refused to pause (stay) her earlier order and said judges “will not be intimidated.”
Reyes emphasized the real-world stakes for TPS holders, pushing back on the government’s suggestion that Haitians wouldn’t be targeted if her order were lifted. She warned that without her ruling, law-abiding Haitian TPS recipients—who can legally live and work in the U.S. under the program—could be detained and face removal. The article notes TPS is granted when conditions in a home country are unsafe, does not create a path to citizenship, and that about 350,000 Haitians currently have TPS. Reyes also addressed misinformation about her background, stating she is qualified based on her legal career and education, not her identity.