President Donald Trump’s administration announced that it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burmese nationals.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now concluded that conditions in Burma have stabilized enough for citizens to return.
The move continues the administration’s broader effort to scale back TPS programs that have been repeatedly extended under previous administrations.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the decision returns the program to its intended purpose.
Noem said Burma has made “notable progress in governance and stability,” pointing to the end of its state of emergency, plans for elections, ceasefire agreements, and improvements in local governance.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, was designated for TPS in May 2021 by then–Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas extended the designation again in March 2024.
The program was set to run through November 2025.
However, DHS said it will now formally end on January 26, 2026.
USCIS said Noem made the determination “after conferring with interagency partners” and concluded that allowing Burmese nationals to remain in the country would be “contrary to the national interest of the United States.”
The agency also encouraged those covered by TPS to use the Customs and Border Protection CBP One app for self-deportation assistance.
The decision marks another major rollback in a series of TPS terminations this year.
Since January, DHS has ended TPS for migrants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, and South Sudan.
USCIS emphasized its shift toward tighter oversight, saying on November 13 that it was “ending exploitation” of the program and reasserting that TPS must remain “truly temporary.”
The agency said it has implemented enhanced vetting and screening procedures designed to block the use of TPS as a long-term workaround to U.S. immigration laws.
USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said that “unchecked mass migration” strains the labor market and core public systems, calling it a foundational threat to the country.
The announcement also follows President Trump’s move last week to end TPS for Somali nationals in Minnesota.
The president acted after reports alleging that funds stolen through large-scale fraud schemes in the state were funneled to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote:
“Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great state, and BILLIONS of dollars are missing.
“Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
Monday’s action on Burma continues the administration’s rapid redefinition of TPS policy, positioning it as a strictly time-limited emergency measure rather than a long-term immigration pathway.
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