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By Gabe Whisnant
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The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 6-3 to allow the Trump administration to end temporary legal protections for migrants from Haiti and Syria, clearing the way for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move ahead with deportations affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
The decision in Mullin v. Doe overturns lower court orders that had blocked the policy and marks a major victory for the administration’s immigration agenda.
The six conservative justices sided with the administration’s argument that courts lack authority to second-guess key determinations about Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a humanitarian program created by Congress in 1990 to shield migrants from deportation when conditions in their home countries are deemed unsafe. The ruling allows DHS to rapidly unwind protections for roughly 350,000 Haitians and about 6,000 Syrians who had been granted work authorization and legal status under the program.
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Writing for the 6–3 conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito firmly defended the White House's broad executive authority over immigration, ruling that federal judges have no business policing the administration's policy shifts.
“The Secretary’s (DHS' Markwayne Mullin) TPS designation decisions are not subject to judicial review,” Alito wrote for the court’s conservative majority. “There is no judicial review of any determination of the [Secretary of Homeland Security] with respect to the designation, or termination or extension of a designation, of a foreign state.”
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Justice Elena Kagan, joined by fellow liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, fiercely criticized the majority for giving the executive branch a blank check to strip vulnerable communities of legal protections without meeting basic administrative or procedural standards.
"The majority's ruling flips traditional administrative accountability on its head, granting the executive branch total immunity from basic judicial oversight while putting hundreds of thousands of legally present individuals at immediate risk of removal," Kagan wrote. "By insulating these sweeping policy shifts from meaningful review, the Court strips away vital protections against arbitrary and potentially biased government action."
In a separate 6-3 immigration ruling, the Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the Trump administration to potentially reinstate an immigration policy previously used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
James Percival, general counsel for DHS, wrote on X, "Our second Supreme Court win of the day, the Court vindicates DHS yet again. The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense."
The ruling could have sweeping consequences beyond the immediate groups affected. Temporary Protected Status currently covers about 1.3 million people from 17 countries, many of whom have lived in the United States for years under renewable protections. Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has moved to terminate TPS designations for 13 countries, some of which had been in place for more than a decade.
The High Court has yet to weigh in on another cornerstone of Trump’s immigration agenda, birthright citizenship, a pending case that could reshape who is entitled to automatic U.S. citizenship under the Constitution. The Supreme Court is next scheduled to release opinions on Monday, June 29, though the exact final day of the term has not been announced. Decisions are expected to continue in the coming days, with the term likely wrapping up by late June or early July.
Political, Economic Concerns Surface
Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio became a flashpoint during the 2024 campaign after then-Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance amplified claims about the community, including allegations that migrants were harming local residents.
The controversy drew national attention and backlash, while also highlighting the town’s sizable Haitian population living and working legally under TPS and its role in the local economy.
Kagan wrote in the dissent that the majority erred in allowing the administration to proceed and argued the decision to end protections for Haiti was “motivated, at least in part, by racial animus.” She pointed to inflammatory statements made during Trump’s 2024 campaign, describing them as “so repellent and racially inflected” that the majority declined to quote them, and warned the ruling removes critical safeguards against potentially discriminatory policy decisions.
The impact will be felt most heavily in states with the largest Haitian TPS populations, particularly Florida, which is home to about 158,000 recipients, and New York with roughly 40,000. Smaller but more concentrated communities—such as Ohio, where about 14,000 Haitians live, many clustered in cities like Springfield—have taken on outsized political significance.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani framed the ruling as a direct blow to New Yorkers who have contributed to the city as health care workers, educators and community organizers, stressing that they remain part of New York regardless of the decision. During a news conference Wednesday, he warned the outcome would bring “fear, instability, and the threat of deportation for so many,” but said city leaders would continue to support affected residents, adding that while others “traffic in cruelty,” City Hall would respond with “solidarity” and stand up for them.
The decision has sparked concern among former immigration officials who once administered the policy. Adam Klein, a former DHS official and co-founder of Globali.ai, told Newsweek via email that the ruling strips away vital institutional norms that were meant to protect the program from raw political winds.
"The decision...reinforces a larger reality: immigration policy is increasingly being shaped by executive action and judicial deference rather than by Congress," Klein said. "As a result, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people may turn on changes in administrations rather than on durable legislative solutions."
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Republicans Warn of Healthcare ‘Crisis’ After Ruling
The Supreme Court’s decision drew criticism from some Republicans, exposing divisions within the party over the administration’s immigration policies. Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who has backed efforts to extend protections for Haitian migrants, said he “strongly disagree[s] with ending Haitian TPS at this time,” citing Haiti’s ongoing security collapse.
Lawler also warned of immediate domestic fallout, noting a significant share of Haitian TPS holders work in healthcare. Ending their status, he said, “will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD community,” and urged the administration to allow an orderly transition period.
The House in April passed a bipartisan measure aimed at preserving TPS for Haitians, though the proposal has stalled in the Senate.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine struck a similar tone, calling the ruling “a legal decision” but arguing the policy is “a mistake.” He warned more than 10,000 Haitians in Ohio will now be “subject to immediate deportation,” despite having been “working and contributing” to their communities, adding that revoking their status “is not in the best interest of the United States nor Ohio.”
Meanwhile, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Haitians were "destroying" Springfield, Ohio, adding on Fox News' The Will Cain Show that following today's SCOTUS ruling, in part, "In the case of TPS, or Temporary Protected Status, aka amnesty, for Haitian migrants, this is a victory 10 years in the making ... We can finally remove these Haitian illegal migrants from the United States. This is a momentous victory."
What Happens to Affected Individuals Now?
TPS was first granted to Haitians after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake and has been repeatedly renewed as instability worsened, displacing more than a million people. Syrians received protections in 2012 as their country descended into civil war.
Following the High Court's 6–3 decision, the clock is officially ticking for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. Because the conservative majority ruled that federal courts cannot second-guess the executive branch's authority to dismantle the program, DHS can immediately initiate wind-down periods. Once an individual's specific status officially expires, they will instantly lose their legal work authorizations and driver's licenses, throwing their employment, mortgages, and daily lives into immediate legal limbo.
With their lawful presence stripped away, these hundreds of thousands of long-term residents face a stark reality: adjust their legal status through narrow channels like asylum or family sponsorships, leave the U.S. voluntarily, or face the immediate threat of mass deportation.
While the legal battle in Washington centered on executive authority, immigration advocates point to harrowing conditions on the ground. According to recent United Nations data, gang violence in Haiti has driven internal displacement to a record 1.5 million people, while a heavily fractured Syria remains mired in localized militia warfare that leaves 6 million residents internally displaced and basic medical infrastructure completely broken.
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What Is Mullin v. Doe?
Mullin v. Doe focused on whether courts can review the government’s decisions to end Temporary Protected Status or if those determinations are shielded from judicial oversight. Lower courts had blocked the terminations, finding the process likely unlawful and potentially influenced by bias, while the administration argued it acted within its legal authority.
What Is TPS?
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a humanitarian program created by Congress in 1990 that allows people from crisis-stricken countries to live and work in the United States temporarily. It offers protection from deportation but does not provide a path to permanent residency or citizenship, and can be extended or ended by the federal government.
Who Is Eligible for TPS?
TPS is available to nationals of designated countries who are already in the United States and meet strict requirements, including continuous residence and physical presence. Applicants must show they cannot safely return home due to conditions such as conflict, disaster, or instability, and protections remain in place only while those conditions persist.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Wilson and Edward Cummins.
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