US Supreme Court allows gov't to end TPS for Haitians
Key Points(5)
- The Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can strip protected status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants which has allowed them to stay in the US for years.
- The 6-3 ruling overturned decisions by federal judges that had blocked the administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,100 from Syria.
- TPS is granted to individuals whose home countries are unable to accommodate them, due to war or natural disasters.
- In a separate ruling, the court has said that migrants arriving at the border are not entitled to apply for asylum until they set foot on US soil, giving another win to the Trump administration.
- Getty Images A crowd lines up outside the American embassy in Haiti Getty Images The US first provided TPS to Haitians after a major earthquake in 2010 TPS recipients can legally live and work in the US for up to 18 months, subject to extensions.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government may strip protected status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants, clearing the way for potential deportations of people who have lived in the United States for years under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
In a 6–3 decision, the court overturned lower court rulings that had blocked the administration from terminating TPS for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians.
TPS is a humanitarian designation granted to nationals of countries facing conditions such as armed conflict or natural disasters that make safe return difficult. It allows recipients to live and work legally in the United States for renewable periods of up to 18 months, during which they are protected from deportation or detention based on immigration status.
The United States first granted TPS to Haitians following the devastating 2010 earthquake, and to Syrians after the outbreak of civil war in 2012.
In a separate ruling issued alongside the decision, the court also held that migrants arriving at the US border are not entitled to apply for asylum until they physically enter US territory, marking another legal victory for the Trump administration.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the statute governing TPS limits judicial review of executive decisions to terminate protections.
Alito also argued that Haitian plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed in claims that the administration’s actions were motivated by racial discrimination in violation of equal protection rights under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.
The ruling effectively clears the way for the federal government to proceed with ending legal protections for TPS recipients, raising the possibility that affected migrants could face deportation proceedings.
The decision is expected to have broader implications for other TPS-designated nationalities currently living in the United States.
