Explainer
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a critical humanitarian tool that protects foreign nationals residing in the United States from deportation when conditions in their home countries make it unsafe to return.
TPS has been making headlines as the Trump administration has taken steps to end protections for people from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia.
In June 2026, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian nationals who have been living safely and legally in the United States under TPS — a decision that could also impact TPS holders in the United States from other countries.
These policy changes and the legal challenges that follow will affect families across the U.S. and undermine the critical contributions that TPS holders deliver.
Get the facts on TPS and what it means for people who cannot return to their home countries due to safety concerns.
What is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?
The U.S. Congress established TPS in 1990 as a protective immigration status for people from countries affected by ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, an epidemic, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions that make a safe return to their home countries impossible. For more than 30 years, TPS has enjoyed bipartisan support, with Democrat and Republican presidents alike using the program to protect vulnerable populations.
As of March 2025, nearly 1.3 million people in the U.S. were protected by TPS.
Like refugees, TPS holders contribute significantly to the American economy. They fill essential jobs, and in many small towns, economies are being revitalized by their presence. TPS holders have contributed an estimated $262 billion to the U.S. economy since 2001, including $20 billion to Social Security—and the remittances they send to their home countries help relieve the root causes of migration. Worldwide remittances are estimated to have reached a record $818 billion in 2023, approximately four times the amount of official development assistance provided by OECD countries.
Research indicates that a reduction of lawful pathways, which include the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), would potentially cost the US economy almost $900 billion between 2025-2028.
A Supreme Court decision in June 2026 cleared the way for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of TPS holders. People may be returned to countries like Syria, where 16.5 million people are in need of humanitarian support.
Photo: Frontline in Focus for the IRC
To qualify for TPS, a person must already live in the U.S. Specifically, they must have been continuously physically present and residing in the U.S. before the date the status was designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This means that people who arrive in the U.S. after that date are not eligible. TPS can last between 6 to 18 months, and can be extended by DHS.
For example, El Salvador received TPS following two devastating earthquakes in 2001, with subsequent developments leading to its extension and re-designation for over 20 years. However, the TPS designation for El Salvador is set to expire in September 2026.
While TPS allows people to live and work legally in the U.S. throughout the duration of their status, it does not offer a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship.
How is TPS extended?
All TPS designations have an expiration date. DHS must review the conditions in countries with TPS designations and decide whether to extend or terminate these designations 60 days before the status expires. When TPS is extended, holders of the status must reapply for protection.
DHS can also decide to redesignate the status, allowing individuals who arrived in the U.S. after the prior designation date—but were already living in the U.S. before the redesignation—to apply for protection.
How have TPS protections changed under the Trump administration?
Since taking office in 2025, the Trump administration has moved to end TPS protections for Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia.
These rollbacks have triggered a series of legal challenges, where multiple federal judges have ruled that premature TPS terminations are likely unlawful and highlighted the valuable contributions of TPS holders.
However, in June 2026, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians who have been living in the U.S. under TPS, and are now at risk of being returned to dire humanitarian situations. This marks a sharp reversal from previous policies that recognized ongoing humanitarian crises in these countries.
In this decision, the Supreme Court made it very difficult for lower courts to review TPS terminations. This has created significant hurdles for ongoing legal challenges to the termination of TPS for Yemen, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan—meaning TPS holders from these countries may soon lose their right to live and work in the US as well.
How is TPS different from refugee resettlement?
TPS is a program for people already living in the United States. It is also temporary, meaning holders are not given a pathway to permanent status or citizenship.
Refugee resettlement helps those outside the U.S. who had to flee their countries due to persecution by allowing them to rebuild their lives in the U.S., with a pathway to lawful permanent resident status and eventually citizenship. Yet, fewer than one percent of refugees across the globe have a chance to resettle.
The Biden administration had taken steps to rebuild the refugee resettlement program after its decimation during the first Trump administration, including by setting an ambitious admissions goal of 125,000 for fiscal year 2025. However, the second Trump administration effectively suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and initially set the lowest-ever refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026, prioritizing Afrikaners from South Africa, before increasing that ceiling by 10,000 slots explicitly for Afrikaners. The Trump Administration has also reinstated and expanded a travel ban from June 2025.
Learn more about refugee resettlement.
A woman picks her way through the rubble of her war-ravaged village in northeastern Syria.
Photo: IRC
How is TPS different from asylum?
TPS is applicable to people already in the U.S. before their country of origin received the TPS designation. In contrast, asylum seekers are individuals who flee their country and apply for asylum after arriving in the U.S. They must prove they cannot return due to persecution based on race, religion, nationality, social group membership or political opinion. Asylum seekers present their case to an asylum officer or in immigration court, and legal representation can significantly impact the outcome.
Once granted asylum, they become asylees, gain legal permanent protection from deportation, and can apply for permanent residency and citizenship. Asylees are also eligible to work, travel abroad, and bring their spouse or children under 21 to the U.S.
One of the key differences is that TPS only offers temporary protection for those needing safety. TPS holders who also qualify for asylum may still apply for asylum to secure permanent status.
Which countries have TPS designations?
As of July 2026, four countries (El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan, and Ukraine) continue to have active TPS designations. TPS terminations for seven more (Myanmar (Burma), Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria) are temporarily paused by court orders but are highly vulnerable after the June 2026 Supreme Court decision as they move through the lower courts.
An Afghan family who recently arrived in the U.S. Newly-arrived Afghans have to apply for permanent protection through the U.S. asylum system, which is already facing a backlog of cases.
Photo: Andrew Oberstadt for the IRC
How does the IRC help?
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) offers high-quality, low-cost immigration legal services and citizenship assistance in 24 cities across the United States. As part of our immigration programs, the IRC helps eligible individuals apply for and renew their TPS status, identifies whether TPS holders are eligible for other forms of humanitarian protection or immigration status, and assists with legal services where applicable.
The IRC also responds to the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises including in countries with TPS designations like Sudan, Ukraine, El Salvador, and Lebanon. Founded at the call of Albert Einstein over 90 years ago, the IRC remains dedicated to helping people affected by crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.
We consistently earn top marks by charity watchdog groups for our efficient use of donor contributions and the effectiveness of our work.
Support our mission—help crisis-affected people survive, recover and rebuild their lives.
How you can help
People with TPS are integral members of American communities—they are family members, neighbors, workers, and caregivers. Ending TPS would harm mixed status families, communities and businesses while putting people who have TPS in legal limbo and danger as they risk being returned to countries that are experiencing severe humanitarian challenges, highlighted in the IRC’s 2026 Emergency Watchlist. The IRC needs your support to continue to deliver our critical programs for people with TPS status and other at-risk groups in the U.S.
Learn more about how you can help the IRC continue our mission.
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