Supreme Court allows Trump to revoke protected status for Haitians and Syrians

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The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to terminate the protected status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants. The so-called 6-3 ruling paves the way for the potential deportation of people who have been allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. for years under TPS status.

The justices overturned earlier rulings by federal judges that had blocked the administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. TPS applies to people from countries that are unsafe or uninhabitable due to war or natural disasters.

Under the law, TPS holders may live and work in the U.S. as long as the protection remains in effect, typically in 18-month periods that can be renewed. Now that this protective shield is being removed, they are once again at risk of detention or deportation.

Second immigration case

On the same day, the Supreme Court also ruled in Trump’s favor in another immigration case. The government may deny entry to migrants at the Mexican border if they have not yet set foot on U.S. soil.

The government argued that a person can only apply for asylum once they have actually entered the U.S. Justice Samuel Alito called that interpretation logical and clear.

Mixed reactions

The three liberal justices disagreed with the majority. Justice Elena Kagan argued that the decision on TPS was racially motivated, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that more people would die as a result of the border ruling.

The Trump administration welcomed both rulings. According to a legal advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, TPS is intended as a temporary measure, not as a disguised amnesty. Critics, meanwhile, point out that the decision plunges hundreds of thousands of people and their families into uncertainty.

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