Supreme Court Limits Immigrants With Temporary Protected Status Seeking Residency

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that immigrants who participated in the “temporary protected status” program due to humanitarian reasons, may not apply for green cards if they had entered the country unlawfully.

The temporary protected status program shielded immigrants from parts of the world undergoing armed conflicts and natural disasters from deportation and allowed them to work in the United States.

The U.S. Court of Appeals had said that the foreign nationals were ineligible for green cards under a part of the immigration laws that requires applicants to have been “inspected and admitted” into the United States. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that the protected status does not constitute an “admission” and that the program’s protection is meant to be temporary.