U.S. Supreme Court backs Trump bid to end protections for Haitians and Syrians

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria, handing the White House another victory on immigration.

Court overturns lower rulings

In a 6-3 ruling on Thursday, the court overturned lower court decisions that had blocked the administration from revoking TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and about 6,100 Syrians. The court's three liberal justices dissented.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said federal law bars courts from reviewing the administration's decisions on TPS designations. He also rejected arguments that the move to end protections for Haitians was likely motivated by racial bias.

Temporary protections

TPS allows people from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the U.S. until it is considered safe for them to return.

Haiti received the designation after the 2010 earthquake, while Syria was granted TPS following the outbreak of its civil war in 2012.

The decision follows the Trump administration's broader effort to scale back humanitarian immigration programmes since returning to office in January 2025. Last year, the Supreme Court also allowed the administration to end TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

Criticism from advocacy groups

Lower courts had previously ruled that the administration failed to follow the required procedures before revoking the designations. The administration argued that the decisions fall within executive authority and are not subject to judicial review.

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Advocacy groups criticised the ruling, warning it could leave hundreds of thousands of people at risk of deportation despite continuing instability in Haiti and Syria. The U.S. State Department currently advises against travel to either country, citing widespread violence, crime, terrorism and kidnapping.

In a separate ruling issued on the same day, the Supreme Court also sided with the Trump administration by upholding the government's authority to limit asylum processing at the U.S.-Mexico border when officials determine border crossings are too high to process additional claims.

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