Major Immigration Victory for Trump as US Supreme Court Backs TPS Termination

The United States Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump's administration can terminate temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, in a decision that could have sweeping implications for nearly 1.3 million people from 17 countries, according to an AFP report.

The 6-3 ruling, split along conservative-liberal lines, overturned lower court decisions that had blocked the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians, AFP reported. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, said the law governing TPS clearly prevents courts from reviewing government decisions to end protections. He added that the Haitian migrants who sued were unlikely to prove that the administration's actions were racially discriminatory.

The three liberal justices dissented. Justice Elena Kagan said the government's decision to remove these protections was racially motivated. "The statements fairly shout, in their racial undertones and overtones alike, that race entered into the President's resolve to remove Haitians from this country," she wrote.

The Trump administration has argued that immigrants were poorly vetted after the Biden administration dramatically expanded the designation, and that countries are now safe for return, BBC reported.

James Percival, General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, welcomed the ruling on X. "The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense," he said.

The ruling could have far-reaching consequences. The Trump administration has already ended TPS for about 1 million people from 13 countries, including roughly 650,000 from Venezuela and 50,000 from Honduras, AFP reported. Decisions are looming for about 200,000 Salvadorans and 100,000 Ukrainians whose protections expire soon. Other affected countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

In a separate 6-3 ruling on Thursday, the court said the Trump administration can turn away migrants seeking asylum along the US-Mexico border if they have not set foot on US soil. Justice Alito delivered the opinion, calling the case "straightforward".