The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration two major immigration victories Thursday, triggering outrage from blue-state Democrats and immigrant-rights groups as the White House celebrated a win for executive power and border enforcement.
In a 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe, the high court ruled that Haitian and Syrian nationals with Temporary Protected Status cannot use federal courts to delay the loss of their legal protections while challenging the Trump administration’s policy.
In a separate ruling, the court also held that migrants turned away at the southern border before physically entering the United States are not entitled to apply for asylum.
The decisions gave Trump a sharp legal victory in his broader push to tighten immigration enforcement and roll back programs his administration says have been stretched far beyond their original purpose.
Democratic leaders in New York and Massachusetts quickly held news conferences denouncing the rulings and pledging local resistance.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state would respond by designating “sensitive locations” to block ICE agents and banning masks for immigration enforcers.
“This is New York. We fight back. We defend our people,” Hochul said. “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 went even further, accusing the Trump administration of operating through 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 with a White supremacist lens,” 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.”
Justice Elena Kagan dissented from the TPS ruling, arguing there was evidence the administration was motivated by “racial animus” in revoking protections for Haitians.
Her dissent cited statements Trump made during the lead-up to the 2024 election, including claims involving Haitians in Ohio.
Justice Samuel Alito, who authored both majority opinions, rejected the argument.
Alito noted the respondents themselves suggested the administration could simply oppose TPS as a general policy matter rather than targeting a specific group.
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 announced the activation of a free municipal legal hotline to help affected immigrants.
“The people of New York City are going to show up for you as we face down a Supreme Court ruling that just opened the door to fear instability and the threat of deportation for so many,” said Mamdani, whose wife is Syrian-American. “… We don’t let those who are afraid of what makes this city great try to divide us. We reject the politics of fear.”
In Massachusetts, where roughly 45,000 TPS holders live, Gov. Maura Healey blasted the decision and said it “makes no sense for our families, our economy, our communities, [or] our country.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu became visibly emotional as she addressed migrants directly.
“You belong here.”
The rulings also exposed a Republican split, with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., warning that immediately ending TPS for Haitians could hurt the healthcare system.
Lawler said he does not dispute Trump’s legal authority to end TPS, but argued the administration should slow the process because many Haitian TPS holders work in hospitals, nursing homes and care facilities.
“Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly 1/3rd work in our healthcare system,” Lawler wrote in an X post. “Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD community.”
Lawler also pointed to gang violence in Haiti and the State Department’s Level 4 travel advisory, arguing that the situation “continues to warrant an extension” of protections.
He urged the administration to allow an “orderly process” over the next six months so Haitian TPS holders can maintain work authorizations and called on the Senate to take up his legislation temporarily extending their status.
The White House and Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, framed the rulings as a long-overdue correction.
“This ruling is a tremendous win for the Trump administration,” 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.”
DHS General Counsel James Percival also praised the decision on X.
“The T in TPS stands for temporary…It is closing time. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here. The good news is it’s not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home.” @DHSGenCounselhttps://t.co/YGo3uuNvrE pic.twitter.com/JDClLseFgA
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 26, 2026
Percival posted on X that “the T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty.”
“This is a win for the rule of law and common sense,” Percival said.
The decisions mark another painful Supreme Court loss for Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates, who have increasingly relied on lower courts to slow Trump’s immigration agenda.
For the administration, the message was simple: temporary means temporary, and courts cannot keep rewriting immigration policy from the bench.
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