The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a 6-3 ruling in Mullin v. Doe that blocks Haitian and Syrian nationals with Temporary Protected Status from using federal courts to delay the revocation of their legal status while challenging the Trump administration's policies.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic leaders in New York and Massachusetts immediately condemned the rulings as destructive to immigrant communities and vowed local resistance measures.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her state would designate "sensitive locations" to block ICE agents and ban masks for immigration enforcers. "This is New York. We fight back. We defend our people," Hochul said at a news conference. "For those who think they can come here and just tell us that that's going to be the different way that it is, you got to get to us first."
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams offered some of the sharpest language, accusing the administration of operating with a "White supremacist lens." "This is another day in Trump's America where we have someone in the White House who believes in fascist rules," Williams said. "He is doing that because his policies are based on treating people like they are not human beings, particularly if they're Black and Brown."
New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a "betrayal of who we are supposed to be as a nation." New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose wife is Syrian-American, announced activation of a free municipal legal hotline for affected immigrants. "The people of New York City are going to show up for you," Mamdani said.
In Massachusetts, which hosts roughly 45,000 TPS holders, Gov. Maura Healey argued the decision "makes no sense for our families, our economy, our communities, [or] our country." A visibly emotional Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addressed migrants directly: "You belong here."
What the Right Is Saying
The White House and Department of Homeland Security celebrated the rulings as affirmations of the rule of law.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital: "Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency."
Justice Samuel Alito authored both majority opinions for the court. In Mullin v. Doe, Alito noted that respondents themselves suggested the administration might oppose TPS as a general policy matter rather than targeting a specific group.
The separate asylum ruling held that migrants turned away at the southern border before entering the U.S. are not entitled to apply for asylum, representing another enforcement victory for the administration.
What the Numbers Show
Of approximately 350,000 lawful Haitian TPS holders in the United States, roughly one-third work in the healthcare system, according to Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who broke ranks with his party to oppose the move.
The State Department maintains a Level 4 travel advisory for Haiti, its highest warning level, citing rampant gang violence. Lawler cited this as evidence that conditions "continue to warrant an extension" of protections.
Massachusetts hosts approximately 45,000 TPS holders, according to Gov. Healey's office.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissenting opinion that there is evidence the administration was motivated by "racial animus" when revoking Haitians' TPS, citing statements made during the 2024 election campaign.
The Bottom Line
The rulings represent a significant expansion of executive authority over immigration policy. While the decisions do not terminate TPS designations themselves, they strip affected individuals of a key legal tool to contest status revocations in court.
One Republican lawmaker has broken ranks over potential fallout. Rep. Mike Lawler urged the administration to allow an "orderly process" over six months for Haitian TPS holders and called on the Senate to take up his legislation temporarily extending their status. The healthcare workforce implications remain a point of bipartisan concern.
The White House has framed Thursday's decisions as vindicating its core position that TPS is inherently temporary. What happens next depends largely on whether affected individuals can maintain work authorization through other means, and whether Congress acts on Lawler's proposed legislation.