The Trump administration has announced its decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Syrian migrants. This move affects approximately 6,000 Syrians currently authorized to live and work in the United States, in addition to around 1,000 individuals with pending applications as of August. The TPS program is designed to offer protection to migrants unable to return to their home countries due to unsafe conditions.
Homeland security officials stated that the termination is based on the assessment that “conditions in Syria no longer prevent their nationals from returning home.” Officials cited Syria’s history as a “hotbed of terrorism and extremism” and asserted that allowing Syrians to remain was contrary to national interest, emphasizing that TPS is meant to be temporary.
In response, some immigration policy experts have criticized the decision, contending that Syria’s conditions remain unstable and that Syrians do not present major terrorism risks. The article notes that while rebels ended the Assad family’s rule in Syria last year following a decade of civil war, concerns regarding sectarian conflict and violence persist under the new leadership.
Source: www.nytimes.com