The Trump administration has turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in a bid to dismantle deportation protections for approximately 6,000 Syrian citizens. In a Thursday filing, the Justice Department requested that the high court lift a freeze currently preventing the termination of Syria’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
This legal move follows a February 17 setback in a New York appeals court, which refused to overrule a previous injunction. That original block, issued in November by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, argued that the program should remain intact while ongoing litigation is settled.
TPS was granted to Syria in 2012 in response to the country’s devastating civil war, providing a vital shield for those who cannot safely return home. While the administration has sought to wind down the program for nearly a dozen nations, it recently saw success in a similar Supreme Court battle regarding Venezuelan recipients.
Opponents of the administration’s latest move have been given until March 5 to submit their formal responses to the court.
