The US Supreme Court has made a landmark decision seen as a significant turning point in President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The court granted the Trump administration broad authority to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which grants legal residency and work permits to tens of thousands of Haitians and Syrians.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court decided that decisions by the Department of Homeland Security to terminate the TPS program will not be subject to judicial review. This development is considered a new victory for Trump's hardline immigration agenda.
A ruling that will affect hundreds of thousands
According to an analysis by the New York Times, the ruling paves the way for the deportation of approximately 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians. On a broader scale, it is noted that the decision could affect around 1.3 million people from 17 countries who were under TPS during Trump's return to the White House.
The TPS program, established by the US Congress in 1990 with bipartisan support, grants citizens of countries experiencing war, natural disasters, or extraordinary crises the right to legally remain and work in the US after passing rigorous security checks. Haitians had benefited from this protection following the 2010 earthquake, and Syrians since 2012 due to the civil war.
Trump administration emphasizes 'temporary' nature
The Trump administration argues that the word 'temporary' in the program's name means the protection should not become a permanent residency permit. A Department of Homeland Security legal adviser described the ruling as 'a victory for the rule of law and common sense.'
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court's conservative majority, stated that the law's text is 'extremely clear' and prevents courts from reviewing the Department of Homeland Security's decisions on this matter. Alito also dismissed claims that the ruling was motivated by racial bias.
Sharp criticism from dissenting justices
Justice Elena Kagan, who dissented from the ruling, highlighted Trump's previous remarks about Haitian immigrants. Kagan argued that Trump's accusations that Haitians were eating pets and his comments that they were 'poisoning the blood' of the US clearly reveal the background of the decision.
Another dissenting justice, Sonia Sotomayor, warned that with this ruling, the court is allowing the administration to 'close the door on everyone fleeing persecution.'
Economic and humanitarian impacts
Columbia University law professor Elora Mukherjee described the ruling as 'a slap in the face to law-abiding immigrants.' Mukherjee emphasized that TPS beneficiaries, including doctors, nurses, journalists, business owners, and construction workers, contribute approximately $29 billion annually to the US economy and pay $7.8 billion in taxes.
Immigrant lawyers say the ruling puts thousands of families at risk of separation, job loss, and deportation to countries where terror, violence, and kidnappings persist. Officials representing Syrian immigrants stated that the Supreme Court has given the government permission to ignore 'a fundamental humanitarian protection that Congress approved thirty years ago.'
According to the New York Times and the Washington Post, this ruling will not be limited to ending TPS for Haitians and Syrians; it will set a judicial precedent that grants the president greater authority in shaping immigration policy and gives new momentum to the Trump administration's efforts to restructure the US asylum and legal immigration system.
