Supreme Court Ends TPS for Haitian and Syrian Migrants, Raising Deportation Risks

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for roughly 363,000 Haitians and 7,000 Syrians who have lived and worked in the United States for years. Without TPS, these individuals lose legal permission to remain, making them eligible for arrest, detention, and removal by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The deadline for the loss of status is set for the upcoming Monday, prompting anxiety among families who have built lives in the country.

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TPS was created by Congress in the 1990s to provide humanitarian relief to migrants fleeing war, famine, or natural disaster. Holders must undergo periodic vetting, obey the law, maintain employment, and pay taxes to retain the designation. Most affected Haitians and Syrians have resided in the United States for at least a decade, with many serving as primary breadwinners for families that include U.S. green-card holders.

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Dahlia Doe, a Syrian TPS holder who arrived in 2015 and works in a professional field, faces the prospect of deportation to a war-torn Syria she has never lived in. She worries about being separated from her elderly parents, one of whom suffers from Parkinson’s disease. The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), which represented Doe and other plaintiffs, has filed an amended class-action lawsuit in New York. The suit argues that former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated TPS for 13 of 17 nations without the legally required consultation with other agency heads and without the Attorney General’s authority, which the law reserves for such decisions.

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Lupe Aguirre, deputy director of U.S. litigation at IRAP, says the government is aggressively pursuing the removal of TPS holders despite acknowledging the danger of returning them to their home countries. In separate rulings, judges in Massachusetts have ordered that TPS designations for Ethiopia and South Sudan remain in effect, while a judge in Illinois has extended protection for Burmese TPS holders into August.

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The amended lawsuit seeks to halt the termination of TPS for Syrians and could set a precedent for other nations whose designations were ended. Courts in other jurisdictions may also intervene, as seen in recent decisions preserving TPS for additional countries. The outcome will determine whether thousands of long-term residents retain legal status or face imminent removal.

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