President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Burmese nationals living in the United States.
On Monday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the agency would be ending TPS for close to 10,000 Burmese nationals living across the U.S. who otherwise do not have legal status.
“This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary,” Noem said:
The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home, so we are terminating the Temporary Protected Status. Burma has made notable progress in governance and stability, including the end of its state of emergency, plans for free and fair elections, successful ceasefire agreements, and improved local governance contributing to enhanced public service delivery and national reconciliation.
Termination of TPS for Burmese nationals will take effect on January 26, 2026.
Under President Joe Biden, TPS ballooned to historic levels, with the former administration offering the quasi-amnesty to more than a million migrants by the beginning of 2025.
TPS was first created under the Immigration Act of 1990 and prevents federal immigration officials from deporting migrants who are designated as experiencing famine, war, or natural disasters.
Since the Clinton administration, TPS has been transformed into a de facto amnesty program, as the Clinton, Bush, Obama, first Trump term, and Biden administrations have continuously renewed the program for a variety of countries.
Since February, Trump has ended TPS for migrants from Venezuela, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and Haiti, among others.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
