Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House, PHOTO: American Photo Archive / Alamy / Profimedia Images
US President Donald Trump's administration announced on Monday the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burmese citizens originally from Myanmar, saying the situation in their country had “improved”. The measure paves the way for the expulsion from the United States of approximately 4,000 people in the coming months, AFP and Agerpres note.
The Burmese military, which seized power in a coup d'état in 2021, is presenting the December 28 election as a step towards reconciliation in the 4-year civil war. Armed groups opposed to the military junta, however, have announced they will boycott elections in key enclaves they control, while human rights defenders have denounced restrictions on freedoms in rural areas where the government army retains control.
“The situation in Myanmar has improved enough for Burmese citizens to return home safely,” US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was quoted as saying in a statement from her office.
“Myanmar has made significant progress in governance and stability, notably the lifting of the state of emergency, plans for free elections and the conclusion of ceasefire agreements,” she added.
TPS, which protects its recipients from deportation and gives them the right to work in the US, is granted temporarily to immigrants whose safety is threatened in their country due to conflict, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions.
The Trump administration's decision, criticized by civil rights groups
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) quickly denounced the Trump administration's decision.
“Is it safe to return to a country ravaged by violent armed conflict, widespread atrocities and targeted ethnic violence, including war crimes and crimes against humanity?” asked John Sifton, HRW's Asia director.
Daily information about the situation in the country “contradicts almost all the statements” of Secretary Noem, he emphasized in a statement. According to him, “the atrocities and attacks committed by the military against civilians in Myanmar have not diminished.”
The Trump administration has also revoked TPS for immigrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Nepal, Syria, Cameroon and South Sudan.
Most of these decisions are still being challenged in court, some of which are currently suspended. The AFP agency recalls that Donald Trump assumed the role of leader in the fight against illegal immigration, speaking of an “invasion” of “criminals from abroad” in the United States and communicating intensively about the deportations carried out.
But its program of mass deportations has been slowed or temporarily suspended following numerous court rulings, notably on the grounds that those targeted should be able to exercise their civil rights.
