US Supreme Court Allows Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syrian and Haitian Migrants

The US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the administration of President Donald Trump to terminate temporary legal protection for migrants fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti and Syria. This decision could lead to the deportation of hundreds of thousands. By a 6-3 majority, the court overturned lower court orders that had suspended the termination of the "Temporary Protected Status" (TPS) program. This ruling enables the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end protection for approximately 350,000 Haitians and around 6,000 Syrians. The Trump administration argued that granting or terminating temporary protection falls within immigration officials' purview, and courts should not review such decisions. The administration stressed that the program was established as "a temporary measure." Conversely, immigration attorneys contend that conditions in Haiti and Syria remain unsafe for migrants' return. These lawyers assert the administration ended protection through "hasty and illegal" procedures, suggesting the decision was influenced by "racist motives." They highlighted that during his 2024 election campaign, Trump reiterated untrue claims about Haitian migrants. The administration of US President Donald Trump had previously announced its intent to end the Temporary Protected Status program for thousands of Syrian migrants, granting them 60 days to leave the United States. The Department of Justice appealed to the Supreme Court after judges delayed the program's termination. The court had previously sided with the Trump administration in a similar case that allowed terminating temporary protection for Venezuelan migrants. The US government denied "racial considerations" were behind the decision, citing a previous Supreme Court ruling during Trump's first term that rejected bias claims linked to his social media posts and upheld his travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. Since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security has ended temporary protection for migrants from 13 countries, some of which had received this protection for over a decade. In April, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to extend protection for Haitian migrants. However, the bill remains pending in the Senate. In a related context, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday an additional $756 million to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrians. The "Temporary Protected Status" (TPS) program, established by Congress in 1990, aims to prevent the deportation of individuals to countries experiencing natural disasters, conflicts, or civil unrest. The program grants beneficiaries work permits and renewable temporary residency for up to 18 months, without offering a pathway to US citizenship.