Myanmar’s military junta on Wednesday applauded the Trump administration’s decision to halt temporary protected status (TPS) for about 4,000 Myanmar citizens living in the United States, saying they are welcome to return home.
TPS, which shields foreign nationals from deportation to disaster zones and grants the right to work, had been granted to Myanmar nationals after the military seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a devastating civil war. The US Department of Homeland Security removed Myanmar’s eligibility on Monday, citing “substantial steps toward political stability” including forthcoming elections and the end of emergency rule.
Human rights monitors have criticised the move, describing the planned elections as a charade. The UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM) warned it was receiving reports of “serious international crimes committed in Myanmar in the run-up to the elections”, including detention of critics and airstrikes that could amount to crimes against humanity.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun called Washington’s announcement “a positive statement”, urging Myanmar citizens in the US to “come back to Myanmar and vote in the general election”. He said they would be welcome to “participate in building a modern and developed nation”. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared: “It is safe for Burmese citizens to return home.”
However, Me Me Khant, executive director of the US-based advocacy group Students for Free Burma, said the TPS stoppage was “a slap in the face to the community” of exiled citizens. “It’s obviously really not safe to go back home,” she told AFP, adding that everyone was “really upset by the news”. The Armed Conflict Location + Event Data project estimates up to 90,000 people have been killed since the 2021 coup.
Myanmar’s military is organising phased elections from 28 December, despite ongoing conflict, the dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, and new laws punishing election protests with up to a decade in prison. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said: “To hold elections under these circumstances is unfathomable.”
