Haiti and Syria TPS Has Ended: What to Do Now in Massachusetts
If you held Temporary Protected Status through Haiti or Syria, your protections have ended. Both TPS designations terminated on July 27, 2026, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Mullin v. Doe. Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with category codes A12 or C19, the work permits issued to TPS beneficiaries, are no longer valid. If your only authorization to work in the United States came through TPS, call Brooks Law Firm at (617) 245-8090 or schedule a free consultation today. We can help you understand where you stand.
The 6-to-3 ruling, handed down June 25, 2026, removed the lower court orders that had been keeping TPS protections in place while legal challenges played out. On July 29, USCIS confirmed the terminations and instructed employers to reverify the work authorization of affected employees. Our immigration team has been tracking these developments closely, and if you are affected, the time to act is now.
What TPS Is and How It Works
Temporary Protected Status is a federal program that allows people from designated countries to live and work in the United States legally when conditions at home, such as armed conflict or natural disaster, make it unsafe to return. Haiti was designated for TPS in 2010 following a devastating earthquake, while Syria received its designation in 2012 amid civil war. Both designations were extended repeatedly over the years, and hundreds of thousands of people built lives, raised families, and worked legally in the United States under those protections.
In 2025, the Trump administration moved to end both designations. A federal district court in Washington, D.C. blocked the Haiti termination (Miot et al. v. Trump, No. 25-cv-02471, D.D.C., February 2, 2026), while a federal court in New York blocked the Syria termination (Dahlia Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-8686, S.D.N.Y., November 19, 2025). TPS holders kept their status and work authorization while those challenges moved forward. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe reversed both lower court orders, and the government moved quickly to implement the terminations.
What the Court Decided
In Mullin v. Doe, 609 U.S. ___ (2026), the Supreme Court held that the statute creating the TPS program bars federal courts from reviewing non-constitutional challenges to the government’s decision to end a TPS designation. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito concluded that the statutory prohibition on judicial review covers the Secretary of Homeland Security’s entire decision-making process, not just the final determination. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas and Kavanaugh joined the opinion in full, while Justices Gorsuch and Barrett joined all but Part III-A. Justice Thomas filed a separate concurrence.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson. The dissent argued that the statute should still allow courts to review whether the Secretary followed the required procedural steps, including the statutory duty to consult with other government agencies, before terminating a designation.
The Court also addressed an equal protection claim brought by Haitian TPS holders, who argued that the termination was motivated by racial animus. The majority found that the evidence presented was not sufficient to show that racial discrimination was a motivating factor, and concluded that the claim was unlikely to succeed.
What This Means for Haitian TPS Holders in Massachusetts
Haiti’s TPS designation terminated on July 27, 2026. Approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals had been living and working legally in the United States under that designation, and Massachusetts is home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the country.
If your work authorization was based solely on TPS, your EAD is no longer valid and cannot be used for employment. Employers are required to reverify the work authorization of anyone who presented a TPS-based EAD (category A12 or C19) when completing Form I-9. Continuing to work on an expired TPS work permit creates serious legal exposure, for you and for your employer.
The end of TPS also means that you no longer have protection from removal. However, the termination of TPS does not erase other immigration options that may apply to your situation. Some long-term TPS holders may qualify for relief through a family-based petition, an employment-based path, asylum, or another form of protection. Whether any of these apply depends entirely on your individual circumstances, including your immigration history, family ties, and how long you have been in the United States. An attorney can evaluate what may be available.
What This Means for Syrian TPS Holders
Syria’s TPS designation terminated on the same date, July 27, 2026, but the circumstances are distinct. According to the Federal Register notice terminating Syria’s designation (90 Fed. Reg. 45398, September 22, 2025), DHS estimated 6,132 approved beneficiaries as of September 2025. The government’s termination cited a determination that Syria no longer met the conditions for designation, pointing in part to the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and subsequent diplomatic developments.
The legal consequences are the same: A12 and C19 EADs issued under Syria’s TPS designation are no longer valid, and employers must reverify work authorization. But Syrian TPS holders may face a different set of questions when it comes to next steps. Conditions in Syria have shifted significantly in recent years, and the options available to a Syrian national, whether through asylum, withholding of removal, or another form of relief, may differ from those available to Haitian nationals. These are case-specific questions that require an individual review.
What to Do Now
If you held TPS through either Haiti or Syria, the most important step you can take right now is to have an immigration attorney review your case. Losing TPS does not automatically mean you have no path forward, but the options that may exist depend on facts specific to you, and the window to pursue some of them is limited.
Do not continue presenting a TPS-based EAD to an employer. If you have another basis for work authorization, such as a pending application that provides its own EAD, make sure your documentation is current. If you are not sure whether you have another option, that is exactly the kind of question an attorney can answer.
Reach out to Brooks Law Firm today at (617) 245-8090 or schedule a free consultation online. We will give you an honest look at where you stand and what may be available to you.
