WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the Trump administration to remove legal protections from thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants in the United States, meaning they could be subject to deportation.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The court, on a 6-3 vote on ideological lines, ruled in favor of the administration, which asked to continue with its plan to strip Temporary Protected Status from about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.Writing for the majority, conservative Justice Samuel Alito said that judges overstepped their authority in second-guessing the administration’s decision.The court also rejected a claim that the decision to remove protections for Haitians was discriminatory.Last year, the Supreme Court in two separate decisions allowed the Trump administration to revoke the same kind of legal status from 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S.
The Trump administration argued in court papers that those actions set a precedent that lower courts should have applied to the Haitian and Syrian immigrants, too.Solicitor General D.John Sauer, arguing for the government, wrote that outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decisions on revoking TPS designations are not reviewable in court.The TPS program, in place since 1990, provides humanitarian relief to people from countries reeling from war, natural disasters or other catastrophes.
Recipients have legal status in the U.S.and can apply for work authorization for up to 18 months, subject to extensions.Noem concluded that Haiti and Syria no longer met any of the conditions for legal status, saying conditions in both countries have improved.
The State Department currently tells Americans not to travel to either country, with both included on its "do not travel" list."Haiti has been under a State of Emergency since March 2024.Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti.
They include robbery, carja...