Dahlia Doe v. Noem: Challenging the government’s termination of TPS for Syrians

On September 21, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem published a notice of the termination of Syria’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation and related benefits. The notice terminated TPS for more than 6000 Syrians effective November 21, 2025, only 60 days later. TPS protects certain individuals from removal to countries designated unsafe on account of dire country conditions like armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary circumstances, and Syria has had this designation since March 2012. IRAP filed a class action lawsuit representing a group of individual plaintiffs, suing on behalf of themselves and similarly situated Syrian TPS recipients, seeking to have the termination declared illegal, and to restore vital benefits. 

Our clients

Our plaintiffs include seven Syrian citizens with TPS who are directly impacted by the termination. Individual plaintiffs sought safety from Syria’s brutal civil war and have planted roots in the United States, with extensive family, professional, and educational networks.  Many of our plaintiffs have been able to live safely in the United States for years only because of their TPS status; if they lose their current or pending TPS status on November 21, they will not have the time or opportunity to apply for asylum and other lawful statuses.In addition to immediately losing work authorization and the ability to support themselves and their families, they risking deportation to a country still experiencing intense armed conflict as well as dire humanitarian conditions. 

Impact

This lawsuit challenges the Trump Administration’s abrupt and unlawful termination of TPS for Syrian nationals. Over 6,100 Syrian nationals currently have TPS and, as a result, find refuge in the United States; and over 800 Syrian nationals have pending applications hoping for that same protection.

Case status

• October 21, 2025: Case is filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (“Court” or “District Court”), as well as a Motion for Postponement of Agency Action.
• October 31, 2025: Defendants filed their opposition to the Motion for Postponement of Agency Action.
• November 6, 2025: Counsel for Plaintiff’s filed a reply to the Defendant’s opposition to the  Motion for Postponement of Agency Action.
• November 17, 2025: Oral arguments were scheduled before the Court.
• November 19, 2025: Judge ordered postponement of agency action in an oral decision (see transcript here).
• December 4, 2025: Government files an emergency motion for a stay.
• December 11, 2025: Plaintiffs-Appellees file an opposition to the government’s motion for a stay.
• February 18, 2026: Second Circuit issued an order denying the Defendants-Appellants’ request for stay of the postponement order.
• February 26, 2026: Defendants filed a motion with the Supreme Court to stay the district court’s order.
• March 5, 2026: Plaintiffs’ file their opposition to the government’s application to stay the district court’s order.
• March 16, 2026: The Supreme Court granted certiorari before judgement and consolidated our challenge to the TPS termination for Syria with the challenge for Haiti. The application for stay in both cases is deferred.
• March 30, 2026: Government filed their brief to the Supreme Court.
• April 13, 2026: Counsel for Respondents filed their brief to the Supreme Court. The briefing for Miot, the challenge to the TPS termination for Haiti, can be found here.
• April 20, 2026: Government filed their reply with the Supreme Court.
• April 29, 2026: Oral argument before the Supreme Court. See transcript here.

Muslim Advocates and Van Der Hout LLP are co-counsel in this case.