The Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2026, that the Trump administration can bypass procedural rules related to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. This program allows foreign nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict or disasters to remain temporarily in the United States. The decision was made in the case of Mullin v. Doe, with the majority opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito and supported by six Republican justices, while the dissent was led by Justice Elena Kagan with support from three Democratic justices.
The ruling permits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate TPS designations without adhering to the procedural requirements outlined in federal law. This affects nationals from countries such as Syria and Haiti, who had been granted TPS due to ongoing crises in their home countries. The Trump administration had previously removed TPS designations for all 13 countries reviewed under this program.
The Court's decision raises concerns about the potential deportation of approximately 300,000 Haitians who were previously allowed to stay in the U.S. under TPS. The case highlighted procedural arguments regarding DHS's compliance with federal law and included discussions on whether the termination of TPS for Haitians was influenced by racial motivations. While Kagan's dissent pointed to racially charged statements made by Trump, Alito argued that the administration's actions were uniformly applied across various countries, suggesting a lack of targeted discrimination against Haitians specifically.