Congress never established a clear path from temporary immigration status to permanent residency, leaving many individuals facing deportation with limited options. At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, 1.3 million people from 17 countries were living and working in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. TPS is a humanitarian measure that protects people from deportation when they cannot return to their home countries due to war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. In 2025, the Trump administration began ending or not renewing TPS protections for 13 of the 17 countries, leaving most TPS holders without legal status or work authorization. Many are now at risk of being separated from their families and communities they’ve built over decades. Some will be forced to return to countries like Afghanistan, Haiti, and Syria, which the U.S. State Department has labeled as unsafe due to war, terrorism, or extreme violence. In the fall of 2025, the Trump administration announced it would not renew TPS protections for Syria and Haiti. Syria’s TPS would have expired in 60 days, while Haiti’s would have ended in February 2026. Lower courts blocked these moves, leading to Supreme Court appeals. In June 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe that federal courts cannot review challenges to TPS terminations. The decision was based on the original 1990 law that created TPS, which barred judicial review of decisions to grant or end the status. James Percival, the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, welcomed the ruling, stating that TPS was always meant to be temporary and could be canceled at the appropriate time. TPS was established in the 1990 Immigration Act to address the inconsistent use of a previous, more arbitrary form of relief called Extended Voluntary Departure. That program allowed some displaced people, like Salvadorans during their country’s civil war, to remain in the U.S. despite lacking proper immigration status. However, its use was often discriminatory, especially for those fleeing governments the U.S. supported. Congress aimed to create a more uniform and humane system by establishing TPS, which would provide temporary protection from deportation for those facing extreme danger at home. Although TPS was meant to be a temporary measure, Congress left the decision to terminate or renew it to the president, with no fixed time limits. This has left many TPS holders in a legal limbo for years, with no clear path to permanent residency or citizenship.