The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians and to allow the administration to restart its metering policy at the southern border. The decisions carry sweeping implications for 1.3 million TPS holders across 17 countries.
Two Decisions. Two Major Losses for Immigrant Communities.
The Supreme Court issued two immigration rulings today, June 25, 2026, both decided 6-3 along ideological lines by the court’s conservative supermajority.
The first decision allows the Trump administration to revive its metering policy, which permits border officials to stop asylum seekers at the southern border and indefinitely decline to process their claims, even for people who present themselves at official ports of entry.
The second ends Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians who have been living and working legally in the United States under humanitarian protections that shielded them from deportation.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote both majority opinions. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Brown Jackson dissented in both cases.
What the TPS Ruling Means
The court’s TPS decision overturns rulings by federal judges in New York and Washington, DC, that had blocked the administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria. Those injunctions had kept the protections in place while litigation continued. Today’s ruling removes that protection.
The immediate legal consequence is that TPS for Haitian and Syrian nationals is no longer protected by court order. The administration can now move forward with its termination.
Two legal arguments that had sustained the challenges were rejected. First, the court held that courts cannot review the administration’s TPS determinations at all, meaning the finding that the administration acted unlawfully is no longer available as a legal basis to block the terminations. Second, the court rejected the argument that the terminations were motivated by racial animus in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee, with Alito writing that the administration’s across-the-board opposition to TPS as a program provided a race-neutral explanation.
The ruling carries sweeping implications beyond Haiti and Syria. The court’s finding that TPS determinations are unreviewable by courts could make it significantly harder to challenge future TPS terminations for any of the 17 countries currently designated, affecting approximately 1.3 million people in total.
As we covered in April when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments, Ruby Powers of Powers Law Group appeared on Houston Matters to explain the stakes: “Depending on the decision, it’s going to have a snowball effect. That could then include, notably, a large population of Venezuelans here in Houston.”
That moment has arrived.
What the Asylum Metering Ruling Means
The first ruling addresses a policy known as metering, which allows border officials to stop asylum seekers on the Mexican side of the border and refuse to process their claims, even when those individuals present themselves at an official port of entry.
The legal question was whether a person standing at the border, attempting to enter, has legally “arrived in the United States” and therefore has the right under federal law to have their asylum claim considered. The court said no.
Justice Alito wrote: “An alien who is standing in Mexico does not ‘arrive in the United States’ by attempting, and failing, to set foot in this country. An alien ‘arrives in the United States’ only when he crosses the border.”
In dissent, Justice Sotomayor wrote plainly: “The consequences of today’s decision are predictable. More people will die.” She and the other dissenting justices noted that the ruling would allow border officials to block asylum seekers from ever having their claims considered, regardless of the danger they face at home.
The metering policy had been in place under the Obama and first Trump administrations before Biden rescinded it in 2021. The current administration had indicated it would revive it. Today’s ruling clears the legal path to do so.
What This Means If You Have TPS
If you currently hold TPS from Haiti or Syria, your status has not been automatically terminated today. The Supreme Court’s ruling removes the court orders that were blocking the terminations, but the administration will still need to take administrative steps before deportations proceed. There will likely be a transition period, though its length is not yet clear.
What is clear is that the legal protection that has been keeping these terminations blocked no longer exists. The situation is urgent.
If you have TPS from any other country, today’s ruling on the unreviewability of TPS decisions is deeply concerning. It signals that future terminations for Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, or any other designated country could face fewer legal obstacles than the Haitian and Syrian cases did.
The most important thing you can do right now is consult with an immigration attorney to understand your specific options. Many TPS holders have pathways to other forms of legal status that they may not be aware of, including pending family petitions, employment-based options, or other forms of relief. Those pathways need to be explored now, before a termination takes effect.
Do not wait.
The Broader Picture
Today’s rulings come at the end of a Supreme Court term that has consistently expanded the Trump administration’s authority over immigration while narrowing the ability of courts to check it. The court has also allowed the administration to deport immigrants to countries where they have no ties and permitted federal agents to target people for deportation based in part on their race or language.
Later today, the court is expected to rule on birthright citizenship, another case with potentially sweeping implications for immigration law.
What is taking shape is a legal framework in which executive authority over immigration is broader, judicial review is narrower, and the protections that millions of people have relied on for years are more fragile than they have ever been.
Powers Law Group is monitoring all of today’s rulings and will continue to update clients as the situation develops. If you have TPS, a pending asylum case, or any immigration matter affected by today’s decisions, contact us today.
Phone: 713-589-2085 | Email: [email protected]
Sources
- Reuters / Corinne Baum, Supreme Court Backs Trump on Asylum Policy, Ends TPS Protections for Haitians, Syrians, June 25, 2026. https://www.reuters.com
- CNN, Supreme Court Gives Trump Major Wins on Two Immigration Cases, June 25, 2026. https://www.cnn.com
- Supreme Court of the United States, Majority Opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, TPS Case, June 25, 2026. https://www.supremecourt.gov
- Supreme Court of the United States, Dissent by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, TPS and Asylum Cases, June 25, 2026. https://www.supremecourt.gov
- American Immigration Council, What Is Temporary Protected Status?, 2024. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
- National Immigration Law Center, TPS Holders: Know Your Rights and Your Options, 2026. https://www.nilc.org
- SCOTUSblog, Case Pages: TPS and Asylum Metering Rulings, June 25, 2026. https://www.scotusblog.com
- Powers Law Group, The Supreme Court Just Heard Arguments That Could Strip Legal Status From 1.3 Million People, April 2026. https://www.rubypowerslaw.com
- Powers Law Group, The House Just Voted to Protect 330,000 Haitians From Deportation, April 2026. https://www.rubypowerslaw.com
- Powers Law Group, ICE Is Trying to Deport Asylum Seekers to Countries They’ve Never Lived In, May 2026. https://www.rubypowerslaw.com
