Haitian, Syrian TPS Ends
US Supreme Court Allows Government to Terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians
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The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 2026, that the Trump administration can end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitian and about 6,000–7,000 Syrian nationals, according to NBC News. The decision, expected to take effect July 27, strips those immigrants of work permits and protection from deportation.
Fear spread quickly through Haitian communities across the country after the ruling. "Tears families apart and weakens our ability to care for patients and elders," said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, according to Mass.gov.
What the Court Decided and Why It Matters
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion. He argued that the TPS statute "plainly bars consideration" of non-constitutional legal challenges, according to Cambridge Day. That means courts cannot review how the DHS Secretary reaches a termination decision — only whether it violates the Constitution.
Justice Elena Kagan dissented, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson. She wrote that the ruling "insulates critical matters from judicial scrutiny," according to Just Security. Plaintiffs had argued that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem never completed the legally required review process before canceling the designations.
How TPS Terminations Unfolded Under Noem
Haiti first received TPS in January 2010 after a devastating earthquake. Syria was added in March 2012 due to civil war. Noem announced Syria's termination in September 2025 and Haiti's in November 2025, as part of a broader push targeting 13 countries, according to the ACLU of Northern California.
Seven Syrian nationals sued in October 2025 in the Southern District of New York. The Supreme Court consolidated their case with a Haiti-related suit and took it up early, skipping lower-court appeals. Oral arguments were held April 29, 2026, according to C-SPAN.
Massachusetts Communities Face a Healthcare Labor Crisis
Massachusetts has roughly 19,000 Haitian TPS holders, according to WGBH. About 1,800 live in Cambridge alone, according to Cambridge Day. The MA AG's office warned that 1,500 workers in nursing care facilities alone will be affected.
MIT Professor Michel DeGraff, a Haitian community member, condemned the court for "discounting racial animus" and sending families back to "a country devastated by gang violence," according to Cambridge Day. Advocates from the National TPS Alliance and ACLU argued the decision sanitized racial bias embedded in the Trump administration's immigration policy.
Deportation Faces Practical Hurdles, But Uncertainty Grows
The FAA banned US commercial flights to Port-au-Prince after a Spirit Airlines flight was shot at while landing. That ban has been extended through at least September 2026, according to AP News. That makes the logistics of mass removals to Haiti deeply unclear and could lead to prolonged detention.
While TPS holders can technically apply for asylum or other statuses, many of those pathways are currently frozen for people from Haiti and Syria, according to WGBH. Nationally, the ruling sets a precedent that could jeopardize TPS protections for 1.3 million holders from 17 countries, according to The Nation.
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