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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that the United States will end temporary deportation protection status for Syrian migrants residing in the country, Reuters reported.
The decision was announced as part of the U.S. government’s efforts to deport more immigrants considered contrary to national interests.
Temporary protected status (TPS) is a government protection granted by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to eligible foreign-born individuals who are unable to return home safely due to conditions or circumstances preventing their country from adequately handling the return.
A government notice stated that the measure will end temporary protected status for more than 6,000 Syrians who have held legal status since 2012.
Last year, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin extended Syria’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from April 1, 2024, to Sept. 30. The extension was due to ongoing conflict and unsafe conditions in Syria.
This year, she stressed that conditions in Syria “have improved and no longer prevent its citizens from returning home.”
She stated that "Syria has been a hub of terrorism and extremism for nearly 20 years, and allowing Syrians to remain in our country contradicts our national interest."
She noted that Syrians who had been benefiting from Temporary Protected Status have 60 days to leave the United States voluntarily; otherwise, they will face detention and deportation.
The department explained that the decision is part of the White House’s efforts to increase the government’s capacity to deport more immigrants who are ineligible to remain in the United States, following a significant expansion of the Temporary Protected Status program under former President Joe Biden, which came to cover over 1 million people.
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