The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration’s plans to end temporary protected status for Haitians, the group said Wednesday.
The NAACP said that the planned end of the "temporary protected status" for Haitians who were allowed entry to the U.S. following a devastating earthquake in 2010 "discriminates against immigrants of color"and violates protections of due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.
"The decision by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants was infected by racial discrimination," Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., said in a statement.
The NAACP lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. It seeks to have the DHS’ order blocked.
The lawsuit comes almost two weeks after President Donald Trump reportedly used the term "shithole countries" to refer to African nations during a meeting that included discussions about Haiti and El Salvador.
Critics have called the reported comment racist. Trump has denied that he insulted Haitians and said "this was not the language used," and he has denied being a racist.