Trump administration ends protected status for Burmese nationals

By Tom Joyce
The Center Square

The Trump administration is ending Temporary Protected Status for Burmese nationals, citing improved governance in the country and planned elections next month.

The administration said the country’s political situation has improved and that it is now safe for people to return home.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the change in a federal notice. Temporary Protected Status for Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, will end 60 days after the publication date. The program covers about 4,000 people in the United States. The department said the country no longer meets the standard for TPS because conditions have changed since the designation was granted in 2021.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Myanmar has made progress in governance and stability. The department cited the end of the country’s state of emergency, a constitutional transition of power, planned elections, and new ceasefire agreements.

“This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary,” Noem said in a statement. “The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home, so we are terminating the Temporary Protected Status. Burma has made notable progress in governance and stability, including the end of its state of emergency, plans for free and fair elections, successful ceasefire agreements, and improved local governance contributing to enhanced public service delivery and national reconciliation.”

The department also cited national interest concerns. DHS said Burmese visa holders have had high overstay rates in recent years. The department said these overstays are a burden for immigration enforcement and conflict with a presidential directive restricting the admission of Burmese nationals.

The termination comes as the administration highlights warmer U.S. relations with Myanmar’s government. In a July letter to the country’s military chairman, President Donald Trump praised the trading relationship between the two countries and urged Myanmar to open its markets further.

“It is a great honor for me to send you this letter,” Trump wrote. He said the United States would “do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely” for companies that choose to build or manufacture products in the United States.

Trump also said the United States looks forward to working with Myanmar “as your trading partner for many years to come” if the country continues to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Myanmar plans to hold national elections in December. The country’s government said 53 political parties have already submitted candidate lists. DHS noted these plans when explaining the TPS termination and said the changes mark steps toward political stability and national reconciliation.

The State Department said in a statement that “The United States will hold firm to its own democratic values and celebrate those values when other countries choose a similar path. The President made clear that the United States will pursue partnerships with countries wherever our strategic interests align.”

The department said the 60-day transition period for beneficiaries is sufficient. Work permits issued under TPS will remain valid through the end of that period.