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Mass Termination of Temporary Protected Status Across 11 Countries

TPS was terminated or targeted for termination across 11 countries, de-documenting over 1 million people. Federal courts have blocked or paused several terminations. The State Department maintains 'Do Not Travel' advisories for many of the same countries DHS claims are safe for return.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 3 of 5: Serious Rights Violation

Documented violations of internationally recognized human rights that cause substantial, measurable harm to identifiable populations. Scale and definitions

Status
Ongoing
Incident date
Record updated
Location
Washington, DC
Category
Deportation & Immigration
Legal posture
Active litigation
War-crime classification
Potential
Sources
9 cited
Stable ID
mass-tps-terminations
Legal basis
TPS statute (8 U.S.C. 1254a), CAT Article 3, Refugee Convention Article 33, ICCPR Articles 9 and 13, Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, Administrative Procedure Act, Due Process Clause (5th Amendment)
Posture note
Multiple federal courts have blocked or paused individual country terminations. The Supreme Court allowed Venezuela's termination to proceed and has heard arguments on Haiti and Syria — a decision is expected by June/July 2026. Conservative justices appeared ready to rule that TPS terminations are unreviewable by courts, which would extinguish the primary legal defense for 1.3 million people. Update (August 2026): The Supreme Court's June 2026 ruling in Mullin v. Doe allowed the Haiti and Syria terminations to take effect on July 27, 2026; see scotus-tps-asylum-rulings-june2026.
Victims
Over 1 million TPS holders from 11+ countries, their families, US citizen children, employers, and communities. Penn Wharton estimated 550,000 workers lost status by end of 2025. A Supreme Court ruling for the administration could endanger 1.3 million more across 17 countries.
Alleged responsible parties
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (original terminations), DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin (successor, continuing policy), Trump administration

Key points

  • 1.6 million people lost their legal right to stay in the United States in 2025 across all TPS and parole terminations -- the largest mass de-documentation in US history.
  • TPS was terminated or targeted for 11 countries: Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria, Somalia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.
  • 550,000 workers lost status by end of 2025, with significant economic impact across healthcare, construction, and food industries.
  • Federal courts blocked or paused terminations for Haiti, Syria, Somalia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, but the Ninth Circuit reversed some injunctions.
  • The State Department maintains Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisories for Haiti, Somalia, and other countries whose TPS was terminated.
  • The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Syria TPS termination in April 2026.

What Happened

In 2025, the Trump administration terminated or initiated the termination of Temporary Protected Status for nationals of 11 countries: Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria, Somalia, Myanmar (Burma), and Ethiopia. Combined with the termination of CHNV humanitarian parole for 532,000 people, NPR reported that 1.6 million people lost their legal right to stay in the United States in 2025 -- the largest mass revocation of legal immigration status in US history.

TPS is a humanitarian protection granted to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that make safe return impossible. The affected countries span four continents and include nations suffering from armed conflict, gang warfare, political repression, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises -- conditions acknowledged by the US government's own agencies.

Country-by-Country Impact

Haiti (~348,000 people)

DHS terminated TPS on June 27, 2025, despite the State Department maintaining a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Haiti. The UN estimated that over 90% of Port-au-Prince was under gang control, and displacement reached 1.4 million people by October 2025. A federal judge blocked the termination on February 2, 2026, finding it "arbitrary and capricious."

Honduras (~72,000), Nicaragua (~4,000), Nepal (~12,700)

DHS terminated TPS on July 7, 2025. A district court initially paused these terminations, but the Ninth Circuit reversed the order on February 9, 2026.

Syria (~3,800)

DHS moved to terminate TPS for Syria despite ongoing civil war conditions. Courts have stalled the termination; the Supreme Court will hear arguments in April 2026.

Somalia (designation slated to end March 17, 2026)

A federal judge blocked termination on March 13, 2026, days before it was set to take effect.

Myanmar (~3,670)

TPS terminated November 25, 2025, despite the military junta's ongoing campaign of violence following the 2021 coup.

Ethiopia (effective February 13, 2026)

TPS terminated December 12, 2025, despite ongoing ethnic conflict.

The State Department Contradiction

The most striking feature of the mass TPS terminations is the direct contradiction with the State Department's own assessments. DHS claims conditions in these countries have improved sufficiently to make return safe, while the State Department simultaneously maintains "Do Not Travel" or equivalent warnings for many of the same countries.

For Haiti specifically, DHS claimed the "environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home" -- a claim contradicted by every major international assessment of conditions in the country.

Economic Impact

Penn Wharton Budget Model documented that 550,000 workers lost legal status by the end of 2025, with significant economic impacts across healthcare, construction, food service, and agricultural industries that rely on TPS workers.

Why This Entry Is Rated Severe

  • Unprecedented scale: 1.6 million people lost legal status in a single year
  • Contradicts own assessments: State Department travel warnings directly contradict DHS claims of safety
  • Mass refoulement risk: Returning hundreds of thousands to countries in armed conflict, gang warfare, or political repression
  • No individualized assessment: Categorical terminations apply uniformly without evaluating individual risks
  • Economic destruction: Half a million workers lost employment authorization, destabilizing families and industries
  • Fragmented legal landscape: Courts have blocked some terminations but not others, creating chaos for affected populations

Update: Haiti and Syria Terminations Take Effect; Most TPS Holders Have Lost Status (July–August 2026)

After the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Mullin v. Doe (see scotus-tps-asylum-rulings-june2026), the terminations for Haiti and Syria took effect on July 27, 2026 (Pew Research Center). USCIS told employers that the Haiti designation "is terminated, effective July 27, 2026," that work permits in categories A12 and C19 issued to Haitian TPS holders are no longer valid, and that employers "cannot continue to employ a person who does not provide proof of current employment authorization."

By August 12, 2026, Pew Research Center counted 11 countries whose TPS designations had been fully terminated (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen), with terminations pending for Ethiopia and Somalia. Pew estimates that the terminations affect about 1 million of the roughly 1.3 million people who held TPS as of March 2025. Venezuelans make up 59% of those affected (more than 615,000 people) and Haitians 32% (334,900). Some Honduran and Nicaraguan recipients had lived in the United States since 1998. TPS now remains in place only for El Salvador, Ukraine, Sudan and Lebanon.

International law engaged

InstrumentProvisionWhat it protects or prohibits
Convention Against TortureArticle 3Non-refoulement -- prohibition on return to countries where individuals face risk of torture
1951 Refugee ConventionArticle 33Non-refoulement
ICCPRArticles 9, 13Right to liberty; procedural protections for aliens facing expulsion
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness—Prohibition on rendering persons effectively stateless through mass status revocation
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial DiscriminationArticle 5Non-discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to nationality

Update log

  1. After Mullin v. Doe, Haiti and Syria terminations took effect July 27, 2026. Pew counts 11 countries terminated and two pending, covering an estimated 1 million of 1.3 million TPS holders.

Sequence of events

  1. Venezuela TPS termination announced

    DHS Secretary Noem terminated TPS for approximately 350,000 Venezuelan nationals under the 2023 designation.

  2. Haiti TPS termination announced

    DHS terminated TPS for Haiti, affecting approximately 348,000 people, despite Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory and 90% of Port-au-Prince under gang control.

  3. Honduras and Nicaragua TPS terminated

    DHS terminated TPS for Honduras (72,000) and Nicaragua (4,000). Nepal (12,700) also terminated.

  4. Myanmar TPS terminated

    DHS terminated TPS for Burma/Myanmar, affecting approximately 3,670 people despite ongoing military junta violence.

  5. Ethiopia TPS terminated

    DHS terminated TPS for Ethiopia, with an effective date of February 13, 2026.

  6. NPR reports 1.6 million lost legal status in 2025

    NPR documented that 1.6 million people lost their legal right to stay in the United States in 2025, the most rapid loss of legal immigration status in US history.

  7. Federal judge blocks Haiti TPS termination

    A federal judge in Washington, D.C. issued an order indefinitely pausing the termination of TPS for Haiti, finding the decision 'arbitrary and capricious.'

  8. Ninth Circuit restores Honduras/Nicaragua/Nepal terminations

    A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel stayed the district court's order that had paused TPS terminations for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.

  9. Federal judge blocks Somalia TPS termination

    A judge in the District of Massachusetts issued an order staying the termination of TPS for Somalia, which had been set for March 17, 2026.

  10. Supreme Court hears Haiti and Syria TPS arguments; conservative majority appears ready to rule for Trump

    The Supreme Court hears expedited oral arguments on whether the Trump administration properly terminated TPS for 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. The case raises the threshold question of whether courts can review TPS termination decisions at all — the administration argues they cannot. The court's eventual ruling could affect 1.3 million TPS holders from 17 countries. Conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the administration's position that TPS terminations are unreviewable executive decisions. A US District Court had previously found the terminations were likely motivated in part by 'racial animus' in violation of equal protection.

  11. SCOTUS decision still pending; 1.3 million TPS holders in legal limbo

    The Supreme Court has not yet issued a ruling in the Haiti and Syria TPS case. If the court sides with the administration — as oral argument signaled it may — deportations of Haitians to a country under gang control of 90% of Port-au-Prince could resume, along with Syrians potentially returned to post-Assad instability. Decision expected by late June or early July 2026.

  12. Haiti TPS terminated after Supreme Court ruling

    Following the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Mullin v. Doe, Haiti's TPS designation is terminated effective July 27, 2026; USCIS later tells employers that work permits issued to Haitian TPS holders are no longer valid proof of work authorization. Syria's termination takes effect at the same time (USCIS, Pew Research Center).

  13. Pew: TPS ended for most people who had it

    Pew Research Center reports that 11 countries' TPS designations have been fully terminated and terminations are pending for Ethiopia and Somalia, affecting an estimated 1 million of 1.3 million recipients; Venezuelans account for 59% (over 615,000) and Haitians 32% (334,900). TPS remains only for El Salvador, Ukraine, Sudan and Lebanon.

Sources

  1. 1.6 million people lost legal right to stay in U.S. in 2025 — NPR archived ✓
  2. 550,000 Workers Lose Status by End of 2025 — Penn Wharton Budget Model archived ✓
  3. Recent TPS Developments — Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) archived ✓
  4. Temporary Protected Status (TPS): Fact Sheet — National Immigration Forum archived ✓
  5. The Trump Administration and Temporary Protected Status — Brownstein archived ✓
  6. Behind the headlines: Temporary Protected Status — International Rescue Committee archived ✓
  7. U.S. Terminates Protections for Haitians Despite Deteriorating Conditions — USCRI archived ✓
  8. Update on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti (Release: July 29, 2026) — USCIS
  9. Second Trump administration has ended temporary protected status for most immigrants who had it — Pew Research Center

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