ACLU of Massachusetts Condemns Supreme Court Ruling Permitting Mass Deportations of Haitian and Syrian Immigrants

BOSTON – The U.S. Supreme Court today allowed the Trump administration to revoke protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians who live and work with legal status in the United States, including thousands in Massachusetts, leaving them vulnerable to mass deportations.

The 6-to-3 ruling, written by Justice Samuel Alito, held that the president has the right to begin deporting people from Haiti and Syria who are in the U.S. under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, even as their challenge to the TPS revocation remains pending in the courts. In effect, the ruling permits deportations to commence without scrutiny from the courts as to President Trump's rationale for revoking TPS or whether his administration followed legally required processes.

Many TPS holders in Massachusetts and across the United States have lived here for decades under this vital humanitarian program, intended to support people who cannot safely return to their homelands because of natural disasters, civil unrest, or other dangerous conditions. They have become integrated in and integral to communities across the Commonwealth, with many holding critical jobs in the health care and transportation sectors.

Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, issued the following statement in response to the ruling:

"This is a devastating decision for our cherished Haitian and Syrian communities here in Massachusetts and across the country. The Supreme Court ignored the blatant racism that has always motivated this administration's horrific treatment of Haitians, including the decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status.

"To the people impacted by this decision: You still have rights, including the right to due process in immigration proceedings. The ACLU of Massachusetts will do everything possible to uphold those rights and to challenge unlawful action by federal immigration officials.”