Topline
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the government to end temporary protected status for thousands of Syrians in the U.S., filing an emergency appeal on Thursday citing the high court’s decision allowing the government to end the same immigration status for Venezuelan migrants last year.
Key Facts
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to remove temporary protected status from Syrian nationals last year, but her move was halted by an appeals court two days before it was set to take effect last November.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the appeals court “baselessly blocked” Noem’s decision, claiming the government would win on appeal.
Sauer also cited the Supreme Court’s past decisions allowing the Department of Homeland Security to strip temporary protected status from Venezuelan migrants.
The DHS estimated 6,132 Syrians had temporary protected status as of Sept. 8, 2025, and another 833 had pending applications.
What Is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary protected status, or TPS, is a designation given by the Department of Homeland Security to foreign nationals coming from countries with ongoing armed conflicts, environmental disasters, epidemics or other “temporary conditions.” After receiving this protection, people with TPS cannot be removed by immigration authorities, and can be given work permits and travel authorizations from the government. The Trump administration has moved to cancel TPS for several countries, including Venezuela, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Somalia.
Why Is The Trump Administration Trying To End Tps For Syrians?
Syrian nationals were first granted temporary protected status in the U.S. in 2012, and the status was extended multiple times as the Syrian Civil War dragged on. In the filing on Thursday, Sauer said the DHS had determined Syria no longer fit the criteria for maintaining temporary protected status and keeping nationals under the designation was “undermining trans-national efforts to encourage peacebuilding and the return of Syrian nationals to their communities.” Syrian rebels overthrew longtime President Bashar al-Assad in 2024, installing Ahmed al-Sharaa. According to the filing, Noem said al-Sharaa “had taken steps to establish a governing infrastructure for the country and a legal framework for the post-Assad era.” The filing also cited President Donald Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa in May and his moves to lift sanctions against the country. However, violence continued in parts of Syria last year, with armed forces linked to the new government killing an estimated 1,500 members of Syria’s Alawite minority, while Druze and Bedouin fighters clashed in the country’s south.
