Supreme Court Denies Stay in Haiti, Syria TPS Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant the Trump administration's request for an immediate stay in two cases challenging its efforts to terminate Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria, preserving legal protections for more than 350,000 Haitians and about 6,000 Syrians for now. The court instead granted certiorari, fast-tracking oral arguments for the week of April 27 with a decision expected by the end of its term in late June or early July.

Temporary Protected Status, established by Congress in 1990, allows eligible nationals of designated countries to live and work legally in the United States when conditions at home, such as armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary temporary disruptions, make safe return impossible. The program currently covers about 1.3 million people from 17 countries, with Venezuelans and Haitians comprising the largest groups. Recipients are shielded from deportation and can obtain work authorization, though they must meet eligibility criteria and can lose status for serious criminal convictions.

The Trump administration, through then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, announced last...