Appeals Court Clears Path to Terminate Protected Status for South Sudan and Myanmar

Federal judges in Boston and Chicago ruled on Friday that the U.S. administration can move ahead with ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of South Sudan and Myanmar.

The decisions clear the way for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement terminations it began in November 2025. The rulings also lift administrative stays that had allowed affected individuals to remain in the United States while related lawsuits continued.

Boston and Chicago decisions remove litigation-based stays Temporary Protected Status In separate cases, District Judge Patti Saris and District Judge Matthew Kennelly rejected arguments from immigrant-rights advocates who said DHS lacked the specific authority to end these TPS designations. The judges said accepting that position would effectively disrupt DHS’s established regulatory framework for administering the program. With the stays removed, individuals covered by the challenged designations lose the litigation-related shield that had paused enforcement outcomes while the cases proceeded. June Supreme Court ruling shaped the legal landscape The Friday decisions came after a June Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the executive branch’s broad authority to terminate TPS protections. That ruling, as described in the cases, reduced the room for courts to intervene in disputes over how immigration protections are ended.

Judges in the Boston and Chicago matters pointed to that backdrop in allowing the administration to proceed, aligning the lower-court outcomes with the Supreme Court’s view of executive discretion in this area.

Thousands affected and potential deportations now possible

The rulings affect about 232 South Sudanese nationals and roughly 4,000 people from Myanmar who previously had authorization to work and protection from deportation under TPS. With the end of the designations permitted to go forward, they now face the possibility of removal proceedings.

The cases also highlight that the individuals involved could be returned to countries that remain marked by conflict and political instability, as described in the litigation. The court decisions do not resolve those conditions; they address whether DHS can end the designations under its asserted authority.

Other TPS challenges remain active, DHS says DHS indicated that additional legal disputes are still underway involving TPS designations for Ethiopian and Somalian nationals. The Friday rulings address South Sudan and Myanmar only, but they arrive amid broader litigation over the contours of TPS termination authority.

For affected communities, the immediate change is procedural and practical: the removal of administrative stays means that the protections tied to the ongoing lawsuits are no longer in place, even as other TPS-related challenges continue elsewhere.