This is Terrill Wyche for Open Air Speaks. This article and its content come from a September 11, 2026 interview with Professor Sabrina Balgamwalla, Associate Professor at Wayne State Law School and Director of the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic.
TW: For our readers, what is TPS?
SB: Temporary Protected Status, a federal program that allows certain people fleeing war, disaster, or instability to live and work legally in the United States, has narrowed sharply in recent months. This has serious implications for immigrants in Michigan and across the country.
TW: What are the most significant recent changes to TPS regulations, and which populations are most affected?
SB: TPS has ended for nationals of a number of different countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. There is ongoing litigation related to the termination of TPS for some of these nationalities, but no one is eligible for immigration law protections or work authorization while the litigation is pending. In early 2025, nearly 1.3 million people were living in the United States with TPS. Now that number is less than 300,000. Most of these are Salvadoran nationals, and the future of their TPS designation is uncertain-- the Department of Homeland Security allowed the most recent designation to expire on September 9, 2026, rather than making an announcement as to whether the program was terminated or would be extended. Salvadoran TPS holders continue to have legal protection and valid work authorization pending an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security.
TW: How do these changes affect TPS holders in the Detroit area specifically?
SB: The number of TPS holders in Michigan is not as high as in other states, but the effects are still significant. TPS was first designated for Honduras in 1999-- this represents a longstanding form of legal protection for the Honduran community. El Salvador was the first country to receive a TPS designation, back in 1991, so the uncertainty around the future of that status is causing a lot of anxiety. More recently, we have seen migration from Haiti and Venezuela, and those communities have been specifically targeted in our region by immigration enforcement.
TW: What legal options do affected individuals have right now?
SB: The options will vary depending on an individual's circumstances. But if anyone is afraid that they will be harmed if they return to their home country, they should talk to a lawyer about a claim for asylum or withholding of removal.
TW: What’s the timeline; are there re-registration windows or deadlines people need to know about?
SB: TPS was automatically extended for nationals of Lebanon (until November 27, 2026), Sudan (until October 19, 2026), and Ukraine (also through October 19, 2026). No one is eligible for TPS re-registration at this time.
TW: Finally, from a policy standpoint, what’s driving these changes, and where do you see TPS policy heading?
SB: TPS is a broad form of immigration relief issued at the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The legal requirements for TPS are straightforward and the application process is much simpler than the application for asylum. TPS is precarious, given that it's a form of discretionary and temporary relief, but for many people who have been unable to return to their home countries due to the devastation of war and national disasters, this was a vital way of accessing legal protection. By contrast, asylum law has become increasingly complex and restrictive, largely focused on very personalized harm and often requiring a considerable amount of evidence. TPS, like the United States' refugee program, has been a tool in the executive toolbox to respond to forced migration and offer vital protection to people who need it. The mass termination of TPS is just one of the administration's moves to end pathways for lawful migration and protection for noncitizens living in the United States.
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