NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he lobbied President Donald Trump on TPS before city fired Haitian workers

Before his firings last week of the dozens of Haitian employees with Temporary Protected Status who work for New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke to President Donald Trump to lobby him to extend TPS, Mamdani said Monday.

Mamdani said that only Trump has the power to allow the fired Haitians and thousands of others in New York to work and avoid deportation, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming the president's discretion on TPS.

"Only President Trump has the ability to restore TPS or to grant deferred enforcement departure to affected TPS holders, and doing so would provide not only those TPS holders with the certainty of knowing that they can continue to work and live in this city," Mamdani said at an unrelated news conference in Manhattan. "It would also demonstrate an immigration policy that is just and a commitment to an economy that is flourishing here in our city."

Trump and his administration, which came into office promising the nation's largest-ever deportation operation, have shown no sign of relenting on the TPS revocation and the ending of protections for nationals of Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia who are living in the U.S.

"The T in TPS stands for temporary. President Trump has been trying to end these programs since 2017," James Percival, the Department of Homeland Security’s general counsel, said in June. "So, these people have been on notice for nine years that this day is coming. So, what we would say now is it's closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

The White House did not immediately comment Monday.

Haitian workers, Mamdani said, are vital to the city in industries such as hospitality, health and construction, in addition to the municipal workers. But, he said, the city had no choice but to fire the municipal workers pursuant to the court’s ruling.

"I made clear to the president, as I’ve made clear to anyone across this city, the vital importance of TPS," Mamdani said in response to questions from reporters.

Mamdani and Trump regularly communicate, after having struck up a cordial relationship at the White House in the aftermath of Mamdani's election. Mamdani did not provide Trump’s response.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.