United Methodist Agencies, Faith Leaders, Immigration Lawyers React to SCOTUS Ruling on TPS and Asylum
The U.S. Supreme Court issued two devastating rulings that dismantle asylum protections and the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program in the United States.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
This is a joint statement from GBCS, Immigration Law & Justice Network, GCORR, El Plan, United Methodist Immigration Task Force (UMITF), and United Women in Faith.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued two devastating holdings that effectively destroy asylum protections and the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program in the United States.
First, in Mullin v. Doe*, the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 vote that the Trump administration can terminate TPS protections for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. The court’s reasoning leaves the door open for the effective shuttering of the program, which could strip the status of 1.3 million people in the United States.
Shortly after, another U.S. Supreme Court ruling was announced in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, which gives the government the authority to turn back asylum seekers before they physically step onto U.S. soil, allowing officials to block people from accessing asylum at ports of entry.
These decisions are profoundly cruel and inhumane and represent a grave departure from our nation’s highest ideals. The United Methodist Social Principles affirm that every migrant, refugee and asylum seeker bears the image of God and possesses inherent dignity and worth, regardless of country of origin or legal status. These rulings abandon families fleeing violence, persecution and humanitarian crises, placing countless lives at greater risk (The UMC 2025-2028 Social Principles, ¶163, The Political Community, Basic Rights and Freedoms, G., Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees).
“At a moment when compassion, due process and human dignity are needed most, these decisions weaken our nation’s moral witness and undermine the longstanding commitment to offer refuge to those seeking safety. We call upon our elected leaders to pursue policies that reflect justice, mercy and the sacred worth of every human being, ensuring that our immigration system embodies both the rule of law and the moral courage to protect those in need,” said Rev. Kendal L. McBroom, Director of Civil and Human Rights at the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society.
“The Supreme Court decisions handed down today greenlight this administration’s cruel and violent mass deportation agenda,” said Melissa Bowe, Co-Executive Director of Immigration Law & Justice Network.
“In just this term, the court has eroded protections for lawful permanent residents, stripped the rights of asylum seekers fleeing for safety at the U.S. border, and paved the way for the kidnapping, detaining and deporting 1.3 million TPS holders. Our hearts break for our clients, our communities, our friends and our families. We know firsthand that decisions like these do not deter people from desperately seeking safety in the United States—they simply increase the risks that vulnerable people who would have qualified for asylum or TPS face when trying to seek protection for themselves and their families. We call on all people of conscience to join us in demanding that Congress take swift action on immigration reform.”
*The General Board of Church and Society was part of an interfaith amicus brief in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, defending the right to seek asylum.
About the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS)
The General Board of Church and Society is the social justice and public witness agency of the United Methodist Church. GBCS educates and equips people of faith to live out the Church’s Social Principles and other General Conference policy statements on Christian social concerns through faithful action for peace, justice, liberation, and care for creation.
See Church & Society’s statement on mass deportation and other resources here.
Media Contact
Communications Department General Board of Church and Society gbcs@umcjustice.org
