The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration can strip the temporary protected status (TPS) of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria. The conservative-leaning majority appeared sympathetic to the administration's attempts to end humanitarian protections for these groups.
TPS allows individuals to live and work in the US when their home countries are deemed unsafe due to war, political instability, or natural disasters. The Trump administration has sought to terminate the program for various countries, potentially affecting over 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians currently protected.
The arguments centred on whether the judiciary can review the executive branch's decision to end TPS. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that TPS legislation prevents courts from striking down the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) decisions, describing them as 'foreign policy-laden judgments' for the political branches. However, lawyers for the immigrants argued that former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to follow proper procedures.
Chief Justice John Roberts expressed scepticism of the administration's reliance on the 2018 Trump v Hawaii travel ban ruling, noting that case involved the president and entry restrictions, whereas this case concerns the DHS secretary and aliens already present. The court is expected to rule in late June or early July.
