July 10, 2026 marks the final expiration date for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) which are extended under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). With SCOTUS’ decision to end TPS, 330,000 Haitians with work authorizations related to their designation, will be affected.
In the latest assault against immigrant communities, the Supreme Court – an undemocratically elected body of wealthy justices serving lifetime appointments – voted 6-3 to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians. They also cleared the way for a revival of a controversial border policy, allowing officials at the southern border to turn away migrants seeking a safe haven inside the United States.
TPS designation provides the ability for immigrants to remain in the United States if their home countries are experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other conditions “that may temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely.” This ruling exposes 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian refugees to the real possibility of deportations. 17 countries have TPS designation but the Trump administration has worked to end that status for 13 of them, bringing the end of protections for 1.3 million people. This includes Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Somalia, Venezuela and Yemen.
This victory for Trump and the far-right expands their racist, anti-immigrant agenda. ICE and CBP received an additional $70 billion in funding earlier this month following a lackluster 123 day standoff between Democrats and Republicans. This is already three times the annual funding for ICE and adds onto the $150 billion Trump ushered in through the July 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBA). Both ICE and CBP are still sitting on $95 billion of unspent funds from this billionaire-backed bill and now will be injected with more funding that instead, could fund the necessary social services Trump’s administration has chosen to gut.
SCOTUS stopped short of an all-out assault on workers by upholding birthright citizenship as enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the constitution. Nearly two million birthright citizens are deservedly relieved at the ruling. Yet, a ruling examining a constitutional amendment, was on the docket to potentially cause irreparable damage. It is a win for workers, but it should not be mistaken for good will of a majority conservative, who are aiding Trump in dramatically reshaping the form of U.S. government.
The far-right mass deportation campaign
During the 2024 presidential debate between Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump targeted the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio falsely stating “[Haitians are]…eating dogs. They’re eating cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” This anti-Black and xenophobic rhetoric was just the beginning of Trump’s mass deportation campaign. He promised to deport one million immigrants per year, targeting “dangerous criminals” and the “worst of the worst.”
After taking office on January 20, 2025, Trump signed over a dozen Executive Orders as part of a total of 40 executive actions aggressively targeting immigration. The most significant include the current attacks on birthright citizenship, border and security asylum, travel bans and visa restrictions, refugee admissions, and “interior enforcement.”
In February 2025, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate both 2021and 2023 TPS designations for over 600,000 Venezuelans. Lower court rulings had blocked the termination of both designations, leaving Venezuelans in legal limbo with the hopes of remaining inside the United States. However, the recent SCOTUS ruling allows for the immediate end to the slate of court orders for immigrants with TPS status.
That same summer, a wave of violent ICE terror struck major metropolitan areas – considered sanctuary cities – over the next several months. This mass deportation campaign struck Los Angeles early on where large arrests were conducted with the agency arresting a record of 2,200 on a single day on 4 June 2025. Other ICE terror campaigns struck cities such as Chicago through Operation Midway Blitz, Columbus with Operation Buckeye, and Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
400,000 deportations were conducted in the first 250 days of Trump’s administration. Of the so-called “criminals” arrested, only 35% of detainees had a criminal conviction as of September 2025 compared to 65% in October 2024 under Biden’s administration. The share of detainees who had immigration violations but no criminal charges increased from 6% in October 2024 to 35% in September 2025. The statistics affirm that this campaign sought to deport any long-time community member, regardless of record. Trump’s administration racistly and unlawfully detained anyone who appeared to come from Latin America, the Caribbean, West Asia, and Africa.
U.S. imperialism is the main driver devastating former TPS-designated countries
Haiti has continued to experience an unprecedented level of political, social and economic crises. Armed violence, an economic recession, and collapse of basic services prevent the nation from developing. This position of underdevelopment is a direct result of U.S. imperialism’s hand in ensuring that the 1804 revolution, the first Black republic to overthrow their French colonial oppressors, would never spread to the United States. Haiti for the last 201 years, has been forced to pay for its independence. From 1825 until 1847, it paid France an estimated $21 billion to prevent another invasion – sheer extortion. The repaid debt was never intended for infrastructure or loans, which left Haiti directing 80% of their national budget servicing this unjust debt.
This systematic looting is what prevented Haiti from investing in the development of schools, hospitals, or other necessary infrastructure post-independence. Fast forward to 2003, then-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide launched a campaign demanding France repay the stolen $21 billion. Aristide’s challenge to imperialist theft culminated in France’s U.S.-backed regime change against the nation. Haiti today remains in the throes of neoliberal imposition yet the former Secretary of Homeland Security Kriti Noem determined “Haiti no longer met the conditions for its designation for TPS.” Contradicting this statement is the U.S. Department of State’s travel advisory placing Haiti at a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) due to “kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care.”
The overthrow of the Syrian government in December 2024 by rebel fighters from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a former affiliate originating from al-Qaeda, deepened the U.S. and Europe’s destabilization campaign. This former al-Qaeda affiliate was widely welcomed and celebrated as the new head of government by the U.S., Europe, and Israel, marking a volatile geopolitical shift in the region. Both Biden and Netanyahu celebrated the fall of Damascus with Israeli troops invading part of Syria immediately following the demise of its government. The Israeli air force carried out over 100 strikes in Syria destroying key military installations. This was welcomed by the HTS, further reducing the country’s ability to defend itself. Not only has Israel controlled Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, it has continued to expand its occupation of the country. Israeli forces pushed further into Syria’s southern Deraa province, setting up new checkpoints and moving military vehicles into the area. Similarly to Haiti, the Department of State had also designated Syria as a Level 4 travel advisory despite contradictory claims from the DHS.
Campaigns of destabilization, theft, and occupation are common fates that countries under TPS designation such as Afghanistan, Somalia, and Nicaragua experienced at the hands of U.S. imperialism. So it’s no wonder many civilians fleeing their home country as a result, come to the United States in hopes of finding economic stability to support their family and community writ large.
The roots of birthright citizenship
The legal codification of birthright citizenship in the constitution is rooted in the Civil War and the struggle for Black liberation. After the abolition of slavery and overthrow of the slavocracy in the South, the ruling class was forced to grapple with the new reality that there existed millions of newly liberated Black Americans. The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 following the Civil War which codified, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State where in they reside.” This ratification eroded the former Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857 that upheld no person of African descent could be a citizen.
The 14th Amendment was further expanded in the United States v. Wong Kim Ark case of 1898. The Supreme Court affirmed that citizenship applies universally to all children born on U.S. soil, regardless of the race, national origin, or immigration status of the parents. This upheld that citizenship is a function of one’s birth within the territory and social jurisdiction, not simply a privilege granted by the ruling class.
The Democrats won’t be the force to stop the Trump administration
Over a year ago when Elon Musk’s “DOGE” cuts became a central issue in Congress, the Democrats faced the choice of temporarily extending government funding, or shut down the government to fight the Trump agenda. Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, surrendered without a fight, giving the Republicans the temporary funding bill they wanted. The lack of confrontation rightfully angered millions of people and Democrats within their own ranks.
Then came the first recorded, longest government shutdown in history from October 1 through November 12, 2025. The showdown between Republicans and Democrats boiled down to extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reforms surrounding ICE and CBP. After witnessing the mass movement that sparked the national 50501 demonstrations, No Kings Day, anti-ICE protests and more, Democratic Party leadership needed to recalculate public perception.
Their lack of fighting opposition to the far-right attacks earlier in the year would be untenable this time around. Their real concern of perception over the outcome of the shutdown resulted in 43 days of a costly economic disruption. 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP didn’t receive food aid, air traffic controllers and TSA employees worked without pay, and millions of other federal workers went without a check. Ultimately, the Democrats folded and now roughly 5 million people dropped their ACA health insurance due to a spike in monthly premiums. Instead of politicians enhancing subsidies to make healthcare more affordable for millions of workers, they allowed premiums to double.
Two shutdowns occurred earlier this year. Both stemmed from congressional disputes over federal immigration enforcement reforms following the cold-blooded murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE and CBP in Minneapolis. The first lasted 4 days from January 31 through February 3, 2026. The second government shutdown lasted 76 days from February 14 through April 30, 2026, making it the longest shutdown recorded in history. Ultimately, ICE and CBP were still provided $70 billion in funding, in addition to the $150 billion from the OBBA.
People across the country are facing impossible choices between paying for healthcare or putting food on the table. Inflation overall continues to make the cost of living feel unbearable. In this context, the Democrats’ version of a counteroffensive against the far-right left tens of thousands of federal employees furloughed or without checks, and exacerbated the existing crises for millions of working people.
Only a mass movement of working people can defeat the far-right and billionaire agenda!
The latest round of attacks against immigrants may have handed Trump some victories, but it has only fueled the mass opposition to the Trump administration and billionaires benefitting from the far-right agenda.
Since the start of Trump 2.0, mass mobilizations have taken place across the country squarely confronting the ruling class. Just six months ago, 100,000 people in Minneapolis showed millions across the country that ICE terror could not stop the militant energy pouring into the streets on January 23 and 30. Real mass political action at a new scale was shown to our class. The power of a general strike showed millions of people what is possible in the face of right-wing terrorization.
Many opponents of the recent SCOTUS rulings around immigration understand that this paves way for a potential resurgence of ICE activity in ways workers have experienced over the past year. The right simultaneously recognizes the potential of our class to fight back.
There are 1.3 million immigrants that will be affected. Sending shockwaves into the communities where they work and live. There is no reason that billions of funds should continue to be poured into the hands of the DHS, ICE, and CBP. Millions are struggling to access healthcare, buy groceries, or pay rent. While the cost of living goes up, families are getting poorer, while Trump and his lackeys in DHS get richer.
At this moment, we have to expand the demands to reinstate TPS. But more importantly, demand full, permanent status for all immigrants! Abolish ICE!
