Judge in Haiti Migrant Protections Case Received Violent Threats

A Washington judge who preserved legal protections for Haitian immigrants received graphic and violent messages in response to her ruling last week.

Judge Ana C. Reyes, an Uruguayan-born lawyer appointed by former President Joe Biden, said threatening messages sent to her chambers and on social media attacked her sexual orientation and origins as an immigrant.

One message told Reyes “the best way you can help America is to eat a bullet,” she said in a Thursday hearing, in which she upheld the order preserving Temporary Protected Status for Haiti.

Some messages accused her of hiding the fact she is an immigrant and of endangering Americans. Other posts on social media said “hang the bitch” after the ruling.

The messages in response to the judge’s ruling earlier this month reflect a growing number of threats to the judiciary.

“It’s common these days for judges to receive these kinds of threats,” Reyes said. “Many of my colleagues have received worse threats.”

Reyes’ Feb. 2 order blocked termination of Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitians in the US, shielding them from deportation and preserving legal work authorization while litigation continues. Reyes shared the comments in a follow-up hearing on the Department of Homeland Security’s request to stay the order.

The case is one of numerous lawsuits involving the Trump administration’s dismantling of the TPS program, which allows immigrants from designated countries to remain in the US for up to 18 months when conditions like armed conflict prevent a safe return.

DHS has appealed the order blocking termination of TPS for Haiti to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The US Marshals Service, the Justice Department agency that protects the judiciary, recorded 564 threats against federal judges last fiscal year, up from 403 threats three years earlier. The agency has tracked 176 threats against federal judges so far this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, according to its latest data.

The rising threats also come amid heightened tensions between the judiciary and top Republican officials. Republican lawmakers have filed articles of impeachment against multiple federal judges over their court rulings, while a top Justice Department official has described a “war” on judges.

Asked at a Georgetown Law Center event this week how she deals with social media threats, Reyes said judges should be questioned, just as politicians should be questioned.

“My colleagues and I will continue to uphold our oath and act without fear or favor,” she said. “I will not be intimidated.”