Overview
- Justice Department filed an emergency request urging the Supreme Court to lift a lower-court order blocking DHS from terminating Temporary Protected Status for Syrians.
- The 2nd Circuit on Feb. 17 left intact a district judge’s injunction that found the termination likely violated federal law and appeared influenced by politics.
- Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued lower courts are defying prior Supreme Court orders on TPS, citing Venezuelan cases, and asked the justices to address the scope of judicial review.
- TPS for Syria began in 2012; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to end it in September, pointing to Assad’s 2024 ouster, lifted sanctions, and U.S. normalization with Damascus.
- The Supreme Court requested a response from the Syrian plaintiffs by March 5, and estimates of those affected range from 3,860 to roughly 7,000 people.