(6-25-26) In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2026, that the Trump administration has the authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals and 6,000 Syrian nationals living in the United States.

The Ruling and Core Legal Logic

Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito stated that federal immigration law explicitly bars courts from overriding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decisions regarding the designation, termination, or extension of TPS. The court concluded that:

  • No Judicial Review: The statutory language of the TPS program very clearly overcomes the usual legal presumption in favor of judicial review, leaving the executive branch with unreviewable authority.
  • Rejection of Bias Claims: The majority rejected claims from the plaintiffs that the decision was unconstitutionally motivated by racial animus, writing that the challengers were unlikely to prove that race was a motivating factor in the termination.

The Dissent

The court’s three liberal justices—Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented. Writing for the minority, Justice Kagan argued that the ruling consigns vulnerable populations to “devastating, and indeed life-threatening, injury”. She contended that the administration failed to follow required statutory steps, such as performing proper evaluations of current country conditions, and allowed impermissible race-based considerations to taint the process.

Context and Broader Impact

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  • Immediate Consequences: The ruling clears the path for the Trump administration to strip legal work authorization and deportation protections from hundreds of thousands of people, making them eligible for removal. Many affected individuals have lived and worked legally in the U.S. for over a decade.
  • Dangerous Conditions: Immigration attorneys argued that returning migrants to Haiti or Syria is exceptionally dangerous. The U.S. State Department maintains strict “do not travel” warnings for both nations due to severe ongoing armed conflict, civil unrest, and kidnappings.
  • A Broader Push: This decision follows a similar Supreme Court ruling allowing the administration to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. Since returning to office in January 2025, the administration has moved to end protections for citizens of 13 different nations.
  • Stalled Legislative Efforts: While the House of Representatives passed a rare bipartisan bill in April 2026 to protect Haitian TPS holders, the legislation has languished in the Senate, leaving no immediate legislative safety net.

View the full opinion in Mullin v. Doe published on the official Supreme Court Website.

BREAKING: Supreme Court allows Trump Admin to end protections for Haitians and Syrians

MS NOWMS NOW

The Supreme Court has decided that it cannot review temporary protections for Haitians and Syrians. MS NOW Senior Legal Reporter Lisa Rubin and MS NOW Legal Affairs Reporter Fallon Gallagher have more details. Contributing Writer for The New York Times Opinion Molly Jong-Fast, former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance and Senior Data Editor and Columnist for CT Insider Philip Bump join Stephanie Ruhle to break down the decision.