News & Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2025
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IRAP | Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
AALDEF | Stuart J. Sia | media@aaldef.org
BURMESE TPS HOLDERS SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER UNLAWFUL TERMINATION OF TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR BURMA
“I am terrified of what will happen if I’m forced to return.”
(Chicago, IL) — A group of Burmese TPS holders announced the filing of a federal class action lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the unlawful termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Filed on Friday by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and the Law Offices of June J. Htun, the lawsuit argues that the abrupt termination of TPS for people from Burma (also known as Myanmar) places thousands of Burmese individuals at risk of deportation to a country devastated by armed conflict and humanitarian crisis. Today, the plaintiffs are seeking emergency relief, submitting a request for the court to preserve protections for Burmese TPS holders nationwide while the case proceeds.
The lawsuit—filed by six Burmese TPS holders proceeding under pseudonyms and on behalf of a nationwide class of nearly 4,000 individuals—seeks to block the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to end TPS for Burma, which is set to expire in January absent court intervention. The decision to terminate TPS for Burma is part of the Trump administration’s systematic gutting of the TPS program and is the tenth of eleven terminations for designated countries so far this year—over half of existing TPS designations.
TPS is a humanitarian program established by Congress that gives temporary protection from deportation to individuals from designated countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary and unsafe conditions. Burma remains engulfed in violent conflict following the 2021 military coup, widespread human rights abuses, and unsafe conditions exacerbated by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake earlier this year. The U.S. State Department continues to warn Americans against travel to Burma due to extreme danger.
“I am terrified of what will happen if I’m forced to return,” said Thura Doe, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “As an advocate for democracy in Burma, I have vocally protested the current military dictatorship in my home country. If I return to Burma, I will be immediately detained by the government—which is what I’ve witnessed happen to friends, many who remain imprisoned by the military dictatorship. Because the Trump administration terminated TPS for Burma with only two months’ notice, I’ve had no opportunity to prepare and make plans.”
“This decision is not only unlawful—it is morally indefensible,” said Dinesh McCoy, staff attorney at AALDEF. “The Trump administration is using immigration policy as a tool of racial exclusion, deliberately stripping life-saving protections from Burmese immigrants despite overwhelming evidence that returning to Burma would place them in grave danger. TPS exists precisely for circumstances like we’re seeing in Burma right now.”
Burma is the first country for which the Trump administration has relied on its travel ban to justify ending TPS. The ban bars entry from Burma and other countries based on discriminatory stereotypes. Further, USCIS has announced an indefinite freeze on processing of immigration applications, including affirmative asylum benefits, for anyone from countries subject to the travel ban, rendering Burmese immigrants vulnerable to detention and removal. This termination reflects a broader pattern in which the administration has sought to end TPS for multiple countries, exclusively targeting immigrants and refugees of color without any legitimate assessment of country conditions.
“The attempted termination of TPS for thousands of Burmese nationals is part of a coordinated effort by the Trump administration to strip immigrants of their legal status and make them deportable, regardless of whether it is legal or safe to do so,” said Megan Hauptman, litigation fellow at IRAP. “It is also not their first attack on Burmese immigrants. The administration included Burma in its discriminatory travel ban, and recently invoked the travel ban to halt processing of all immigration applications for Burmese nationals. This two-pronged attack means Burmese TPS holders cannot pursue other options to stay lawfully in the United States if their TPS is terminated. It is not safe for Burmese TPS holders to return to Burma, and the program’s termination would have dire consequences for individuals, their families, and their communities.”
The lawsuit argues that DHS violated the law by ignoring other agencies’ assessment of the humanitarian crisis and extraordinary conditions in Burma and by departing from established procedures and evidence in terminating TPS.
“It’s clear that the Trump administration did not assess country conditions in Burma before terminating TPS,” said June Htun, an attorney on the case. “This is a clear violation of the law with real human consequences. With Burma still mired in civil war, sending TPS holders back to the country will literally put their lives at risk.”
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About the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) was founded in 1974 to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian Americans. AALDEF serves diverse Asian communities around the country in solidarity with each other, communities of color, and marginalized groups. Community lawyering is at the heart of AALDEF’s work, which combines litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing to secure human rights for all people.
About the International Refugee Assistance Project
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
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