Supreme Court to hear expedited arguments on protected status for migrants

Law Supreme Court to hear expedited arguments on protected status for migrants March 16, 2026 5:25 PM ET By Zoe Sobel , Nina Totenberg The U.S. Supreme Court Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from going ahead with plans to deport some 6,000 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians who were granted Temporary Protected Status by Presidents Obama, Biden, and Trump himself in his first administration. But at the same the court expedited arguments so that the cases will be argued in April, with a decision likely by the end of June. Federal law allows presidents to grant TPS for people in the U.S. whose home country is experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, and other extraordinary and temporary conditions. President Trump is seeking to end that status for people from 13 countries, including Myanmar, Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Venezuela. In two separate emergency appeals, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block lower court orders that have continued TPS for Syrians and Haitians while their cases are litigated. Rather than let that play out in the lower courts, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asserted the time was right for the high court to act now, "given lower courts' persistent disregard" for this court's actions in other TPS cases. In an unsigned order, the court agreed with Sauer that the broader TPS question needs to be decided and set expedited arguments for April on several questions. The first is whether TPS designations are reviewable by the courts and if so, whether the TPS holders have some valid claims. Finally, the court will determine whether the TPS holders equal-protection claim fails on the merits. There were no noted dissents. The TPS program allows people from specific countries to temporarily live and work in the U.S. while upheaval – from an ongoin...