Temporary protected status
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for 13 countries, affecting about 1 million of 1.3 million recipients. The end strips work permits and deportation protections, raising risks for many immigrants.
Background
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian program created by the Immigration Act of 1990, offering temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to immigrants from countries deemed unsafe due to war, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. The Trump administration has moved to terminate TPS for 13 countries, impacting over one million people. This has led to legal challenges and concerns from local leaders about economic and community impacts.
How it unfolded
- Mar 2025As of March 2025, there were about 1.3 million TPS recipients.
- Jun 25, 2026The Supreme Court issued a ruling in Mullin v. Doe with implications for TPS holders.
- Jul 24, 2026Work authorization for Haitian TPS holders expired.
- Aug 8, 2026New York City announced termination of Haitian municipal employees who lost work authorization.
- Aug 12, 2026Pew Research reported that the second Trump administration has ended TPS for most immigrants who had it.
- Aug 14, 2026A federal court allowed termination of Somalia's TPS to move forward by lifting an administrative stay.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Advocacy groups like Fwd.us and ACLU argue that TPS provides critical protections and that ending it harms families and communities.
- Caution
- Local officials like Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich express concern about the impact on Haitian residents and the local economy.
Still unverified
The exact number of people affected by the terminations is estimated at 1 million out of 1.3 million recipients, but this is based on March 2025 data and may not reflect current numbers.