Supreme Court to weigh end of TPS

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether the Trump administration can end Temporary Protected Status for migrants from Haiti and Syria. (scotusblog.com) (cbsnews.com) The two cases are Mullin v. Doe, involving Syria, and Trump v. Miot, involving Haiti. The administration is appealing lower-court orders that blocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s termination decisions. (cbsnews.com) (reuters.com) Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, lets people from countries hit by war, disaster, or other emergencies live and work in the United States for limited periods. Congress created the program in 1990, and the Homeland Security secretary can extend or terminate a country’s designation. (scotusblog.com) (uscis.gov) Syria was first designated for TPS in March 2012 after the Assad government’s crackdown and the country’s civil war. Haiti was designated in January 2010, nine days after the earthquake near Port-au-Prince that killed more than 300,000 people. (scotusblog.com) (abcnews.go.com) The administration says TPS was always meant to be temporary and argues courts have little or no authority to second-guess those country judgments. Government lawyers have also said ending the designations is important to national security and public safety. (cbsnews.com) (abcnews.go.com) Lawyers for TPS holders say the government skipped required steps, ignored current conditions, and in Haiti’s case acted with discriminatory animus. Lower courts agreed enough to pause the terminations while the lawsuits continue. (reuters.com) (abcnews.go.com) The numbers in the two cases are uneven. Reuters reported the challenged actions cover more than 350,000 people from Haiti and about 6,100 from Syria. (reuters.com) The administration moved in September 2025 to terminate Syria’s TPS, with the notice setting an effective date of November 21, 2025. A federal judge in New York stayed that termination on November 19, 2025. (federalregister.gov) (uscis.gov) For Haiti, Homeland Security published a termination notice on November 28, 2025, with an effective date of February 3, 2026. A federal judge in Washington stayed that decision on February 2, 2026, keeping status and work authorization in place during the case. (federalregister.gov) (uscis.gov) The stakes go beyond Haiti and Syria. Plaintiffs told the court that 1.3 million immigrants from 17 countries currently hold TPS, and Reuters reported the administration has sought to rescind protections for 13 of those countries so far. (reuters.com) (nbclosangeles.com) A ruling is expected by summer, after the court’s late-April argument session closes. The decision will show how far the justices are willing to let presidents act alone when ending humanitarian immigration protections. (scotusblog.com) (reuters.com)