A federal judge in the United States has ruled that the Trump regime can proceed with terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of South Sudanese nationals, dealing a blow to immigrant rights advocates who argued the move would endanger lives in a country ravaged by civil war.
US District Judge Patti Saris of Massachusetts rejected a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups, including the New York-based African Communities Together, which sought to block the termination. In her 15-page ruling, Saris wrote that the plaintiffs' arguments rested on a "self-contradictory, self-defeating foundation," reasoning that if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacked authority to terminate TPS, it also lacked authority to grant it initially.
The decision follows a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in June that allowed the Trump regime to strip TPS from hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians. The conservative majority overturned lower court rulings that had blocked the administration from ending protections for over 350,000 Haitians and about 6,100 Syrians.
TPS is a humanitarian program that allows nationals from countries facing crises such as civil war or environmental disasters to live and work legally in the US temporarily. South Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since gaining independence in 2011, with over 400,000 people killed and millions displaced. Despite the US government's own travel warnings for South Sudan, the DHS moved in November to terminate the designation, affecting more than 232 South Sudanese and 73 with pending applications.
James Percival, a DHS general counsel, celebrated the ruling on X, stating, "Every other TPS judge must do the same! Every day these 'administrative stays' are in effect is a day the American people are denied what they voted for." The Guardian has contacted African Communities Together for comment.
The Trump regime's efforts to end TPS come despite the fact that many TPS holders contribute significantly to the US economy. According to Fwd.us, TPS holders have paid $7.8 billion annually in taxes and contributed $262 billion to the economy since 2001. They are often employed in critical industries like construction, hospitality, and healthcare, which face worker shortages.
Losing TPS leaves immigrants without legal status, making them vulnerable to arrest, detention, and deportation, even with pending asylum or green card applications. Some may face immigration court proceedings with limited options to remain in the US, and those ordered removed could be barred from returning for years.
Source: www.theguardian.com