Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) strongly denounces the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions limiting access to asylum for people seeking safety at our nation’s borders and allowing the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian communities.
These rulings will put real people, families, and communities in danger.
In Mullin v. Doe, the Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. As a result, thousands of people who have lived, worked, raised families, and contributed to communities across the United States may lose lawful status, work authorization, and protection from deportation.
The consequences extend beyond Haitian and Syrian TPS holders. This decision impacts other pending cases, permitting the Trump administration to return similar cases to lower courts which could then lead to the termination of TPS for countries such as Myanmar, Venezuela, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
In Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, the Court upheld the government’s ability to turn away asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border through a policy known as “metering”.
Justice Sotomayor’s dissent makes the human cost painfully clear: “More people will die.”
We know what happens when people fleeing persecution are denied a fair chance to seek protection. Families are pushed into greater danger. People are forced to wait in unsafe conditions where they face kidnapping, violence, sexual assault, exploitation, and death. Others may feel they have no choice but to attempt more dangerous crossings because lawful pathways have been blocked.
Asylum and TPS exist because our laws recognize a basic truth: people should not be forced to return to countries where their lives are at risk. These protections are rooted in fairness, due process, and human dignity. The Court’s decisions undermine those principles and place countless people at risk of detention, deportation, serious harm, or death.
AJSOCAL serves immigrant communities every day. We see the courage of people who have fled war, persecution, political violence, natural disasters, and life-threatening instability. We also see their contributions as parents, workers, students, teachers, neighbors, business owners, and community leaders.
Southern California is home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We recognize that today’s decisions will reverberate across generations. We call on Congress and policymakers to act with urgency to protect asylum seekers, preserve humanitarian protections, and create lasting legal solutions for TPS holders and immigrant families.
AJSOCAL remains committed to standing with immigrant communities by providing trusted information, legal services, advocacy, and community support. We will continue to fight for the rights, safety, and dignity of all people seeking refuge and protection.