Judge blocks end of deportation protections for about 3,670 Burmese nationals

On Jan. 23, 2026, a federal judge in Illinois blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for about 3,670 Burmese nationals living in the United States, a setback to President Trump’s mass deportation campaign and effort to curtail Temporary Protected Status.

Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the U.S. District Court in Northern Illinois wrote in a 57-page opinion that there was significant evidence that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end the protections was arbitrary and capricious. He said the decision did not properly consider conditions in Myanmar, also known as Burma, which is suffering a yearslong civil war; in more than four years, he wrote, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. The judge said it was more likely the termination was predetermined by an administration goal to eliminate T.P.S. generally rather than based on changed conditions in Burma, and he noted that other officials reported "violence against civilians including airstrikes, shelling, and razing of villages, human trafficking, and dire humanitarian need."

The Biden administration first designated Burmese nationals for Temporary Protected Status in 2021 after a military coup, and the designation was set to expire on Jan. 26. The court ruling prevents the administration from ending those protections as the designation approached its expiration.

Key Topics

Politics, Burmese Nationals, Myanmar, Matthew Kennelly, Kristi Noem, Temporary Protected Status