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Virginia (June 25, 2025) – Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision that strips Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from more than 350,000 Haitians and Syrians living in the United States who have built their lives here and escaped devastating conditions.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows a lawsuit initially brought by the Trump Administration in 2018, which sought to end TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians under the claim that conditions in their home countries had improved. After years of legal battles and appeals, the Supreme Court ultimately sided with the Trump Administration, allowing the termination of TPS for these communities.
“This decision is cruel and horrific, and the most disgusting part of this is that there was another option,” said Bert Bayou, Deputy Executive Director for Organizing and Member Engagement, African Communities Together. “The Supreme Court made this decision knowing how many people it would impact—knowing that this would continue to expand Trump’s massive de-documentation agenda—knowing that 1.3 million people would be stripped of their status and ability to live and work in the country–knowing that many of these people have lived here for decades, have built up our dying cities, and have supported our progress as a nation. Knowing all this, the Supreme Court voted against the people.”
Ending the TPS program threatens to separate tens of thousands of mixed-status families. This ruling strips TPS holders of legal work authorization and will cause instability in essential industries already facing worker shortages, including healthcare, hospitality, and construction. Over 189,000 Haitian TPS holders participate in the U.S. workforce and contribute billions of dollars annually to the economy.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a devastating blow that will inflict immediate and profound harm on hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian individuals who have built their lives, families, and communities in the United States for decades,” said Sandra Benavente, Advocacy Manager at Ayuda. “By stripping Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from these populations, the Court has not only upended countless lives but has also set a dangerous precedent that serves as a harbinger for all TPS holders nationwide. Let us be clear: The systemic targeting of predominantly Black and Muslim communities is an affront on individuals based on their race and religion, and completely disregards their legal rights and due process. Ayuda stands unyieldingly with our Haitian and Syrian neighbors, and we will continue to fight alongside them for the safety, dignity, and justice they deserve.”
The ruling has opened the door for Presidential Administrations to end TPS programs for all countries. Approximately 1.3 million Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders currently residing in the United States are vetted immigrants who arrived through legal pathways and possess valid work permits. Approximately 26,080 TPS holders live in Virginia, rendering the Commonwealth the ninth-largest TPS population in the nation.
“Protecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is not just a matter of policy—it’s a matter of humanity and justice,” said Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. “Our country gave individuals permission to live and work in the US because our government deemed their home countries to be unsafe due to war, political instability, or natural disasters. The Supreme Court’s move to strip TPS protections from more than 350,000 Haitians and Syrians endangers families who have built their lives here and have nowhere safe to return. This ruling doesn’t just affect two communities — it opens the door to stripping TPS from all countries, threatening the safety and stability of hundreds of thousands of people who contribute to our society every day.”
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About Ayuda:
Ayuda provides direct legal, social, and language access services to low-income immigrants in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since 1973, Ayuda has served more than 150,000 immigrants throughout the region. Ayuda is the only nonprofit service provider in the area that provides a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, social services, and language access support for all immigrants – including women, men, and children – from anywhere in the world. Visit www.ayuda.com to learn more.
About the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR):
Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR) is a multi-racial and multi-ethnic coalition of organizations that exists to win dignity, power, and quality of life for all immigrant and refugee communities.