Supreme Court Ends Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian Immigrants

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Department of Homeland Security can end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, allowing enforcement actions to begin once protections expire. The program, created by Congress in 1990, permits people already in the United States to live and work legally when conditions in their home countries are deemed unsafe.

Haiti was first designated in 2010 after an earthquake; Syria was added in 2012. Approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals and 6,000 Syrian nationals currently hold the status.

People who lose protected status and lack another legal basis to remain may face removal proceedings. Individuals with final removal orders are most immediately at risk of arrest and detention. Those without final orders will receive notices to appear before immigration judges, where they may apply for other forms of relief such as asylum.

The Migration Policy Institute reported that 70 percent of Haitian TPS holders are employed, with more than 100,000 working in healthcare support roles as of 2021. Industry groups filed briefs with the court noting that these positions have been difficult to fill since the pandemic.

The ruling follows an earlier Supreme Court decision that permitted the termination of protections for Venezuelan nationals. Additional renewal deadlines, including for Ukraine, are scheduled in coming months. The State Department maintains its highest-level travel warnings for both Haiti and Syria, citing civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping risks.