Trump Ends TPS for Myanmar Nationals, Impacting Nearly 10,000 Amid Ongoing Military Repression

The Trump administration has formally ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 10,000 Myanmar nationals living in the United States, despite Myanmar remaining under military rule and continued warnings from human rights groups about widespread repression.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the decision on Monday, stating that its latest review found Myanmar no longer met the conditions required for TPS designation. The termination will take effect in 60 days.

In a notice issued in the Federal Register, DHS said the move followed consultations within the administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that Myanmar’s conditions “no longer justify” continued protections.

DHS Cites ‘Improvements’; Rights Groups Strongly Disagree

TPS allows individuals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or extraordinary instability to live and work in the US on a temporary basis. It is renewed in 18-month cycles.

Myanmar was added to TPS in May 2021 after the military coup and brutal crackdown. The Biden administration extended it twice, most recently through November 2025, protecting around 10,000 Myanmar nationals.

DHS now claims that parallel political processes and improved local governance in some regions show “tangible gains” in stability.

Human rights organisations say this assessment is inaccurate and dangerous.
Myanmar’s junta continues:

• Mass arrests

• Executions

• Airstrikes in civilian areas

• Crackdowns on anti-coup movements

Global watchdogs argue that sending people back now exposes them to severe risk.

Part of a Broader Rollback of Humanitarian Protections

The Myanmar decision is the latest in a series of TPS terminations under President Trump. Since returning to office, he has ended protections for nationals from:

• Afghanistan

• Cameroon

• Honduras

• Nepal

• Nicaragua

• South Sudan

• Venezuela
  … among others.

In June, Myanmar was also added to the administration’s expanded travel ban, citing an alleged “large-scale presence of terrorists.” The list includes citizens of Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Haiti, Sudan and others.

Just two days before this announcement, Trump also revoked TPS for Somali immigrants in Minnesota, blaming “Somali gangs” and accusing Governor Tim Walz of overseeing “fraudulent money laundering activity.”
Walz dismissed the remarks, saying:
“It’s not surprising that the president has chosen to broadly target an entire community.”

Legal and Humanitarian Concerns Mount

Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, warn that the administration’s TPS rollbacks put over 675,000 people at immediate risk of deportation, detention, and family separation. Legal challenges are expected.

Rights advocates say returning Myanmar nationals to a country still in the grip of a violent military regime violates humanitarian principles and international norms.