{"id":82786,"date":"2026-07-23T21:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T04:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82786"},"modified":"2026-07-23T21:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T04:00:01","slug":"the-absolute-worst-burmese-tps-holders-grapple-with-threat-of-deportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82786","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Absolute Worst\u2019 \u2014 Burmese TPS Holders Grapple With Threat of Deportation"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong> \u2013 In 2021, Mya publicly defied the military regime in Burma. Today she is among some\u00a04,000 Burmese nationals<\/a>\u00a0here with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who are facing deportation back to the country of their birth.<\/p>\n

For Mya, who is in her mid-50s, her return to Burma (also known as Myanmar) would not just mean a loss of freedom but a possible, even likely death sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf TPS protections are completely dismantled and we are deported, the days of hell waiting for us in our home country are beyond measure,\u201d said Mya, her voice trembling. (We are withholding Mya\u2019s last name for security reasons.)<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThe absolute worst could happen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A June ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for President Trump to end TPS designations for as many as 13 countries,\u00a0including Burma<\/a>. The ruling impacts more than 1.3 million people \u2014 many of whom have lived in the US for decades \u2014 threatening their work authorization and legal status in the country.<\/p>\n

Critics of the ruling say the decision to end TPS ignores conditions within countries like Burma, where the military has maintained control since launching a coup in 2021. The Southeast Asian nation also remains mired in a bloody civil war as the regime battles pro-democracy fighters and armed ethnic groups.<\/p>\n

Advocates here, meanwhile, are actively exploring legal avenues to prevent the looming end of protections for Burmese TPS holders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe claims that we\u2019re bringing aren\u2019t addressed in the Supreme Court case,\u201d explained Dinesh McCoy, lead attorney at Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).<\/p>\n

McCoy is working with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and a Chicago-based attorney, June Htun, in representing six Burmese TPS holders who filed a class action suit following SCOTUS\u2019s ruling. The case,\u00a0Aung Doe v. Noem<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>was filed on behalf of all Burmese TPS holders.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope is that these claims also are grounds for the judge to issue a new order, keeping TPS in place,\u201d said McCoy, adding that would allow \u201cmore time for a final judgment down the road on whether or not the government\u2019s actions were illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 17, a lower court judge granted an extension of TPS protections for Burmese through August 7 as the court considers a request to pause terminations while the case moves forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are certainly, hopefully legal arguments that will protect people from other communities as well,\u201d said McCoy, noting nationals from Haiti and Syria, specifically, both of which also recently saw their TPS designations ended.<\/p>\n

Mya was living in Los Angeles in 2021 when Burma\u2019s military leaders took control of the government following elections that threatened their political power.<\/p>\n

Moved by protests inside the country, she publicly denounced the coup. The government quickly retaliated, revoking her citizenship, canceling her passport, and effectively rendering her stateless.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family members in Myanmar are interrogated daily by authorities checking if they are still in contact with me,\u201d said Mya, who made the painful decision to cut off all communication to ensure their safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can no longer run their businesses, and they are barred from leaving the country,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are currently in hiding inside Myanmar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burmese TPS holders here express similar fears amid reports of escalating violence as the military junta intensifies indiscriminate airstrikes across the country, targeting civilian settlements and infrastructure. One such strike in June\u00a0killed 17 civilians<\/a>, while another claimed the lives of seven, including a\u00a0Karenni Christian youth leader<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP<\/a>) shows that deaths since the 2021 coup reach into the tens of thousands.<\/p>\n

Human rights organizations like\u00a0Amnesty International<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Human Rights Watch<\/a>\u00a0report that over 31,500 people have been arrested since the coup, while 2,200 people have died while in custody. Reports of severe torture, abusive interrogations, or the deliberate denial of medical care are widespread.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thought of being thrown into a military prison and subjected to unpredictable forms of torture is too horrific to imagine,\u201d said Mya. \u201cWe have seen evidence of even American citizens of Burmese descent being\u00a0mistreated upon returning<\/a>. Just thinking about it covers me in cold sweat and makes my heart race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such fears are already taking a toll on her health. Over the last two years, Mya\u2019s preexisting diabetes and hyperthyroidism have severely worsened. Her doctors have repeatedly warned her that persistent, extreme anxiety is actively deteriorating her physical health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first came to the US, our plan was always to return to Myanmar,\u201d said Mya, who first traveled here for work. \u201cWe never intended to stay \u2026 But the coup flipped our lives completely upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognizing the temporary nature of TPS protections Mya filed for asylum in 2024. Two years later, she is still waiting for an interview notice from USCIS.<\/p>\n

Her anxieties, meanwhile, were heightened following allegations that U.S. immigration authorities had\u00a0illegally shared confidential information<\/a>\u00a0about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national privacy regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard that, I couldn\u2019t stop wondering: Have U.S. immigration agencies already shared the personal data of Burmese political asylum seekers with the junta,\u201d said Mya. \u201cCould the same thing happen to us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Li Lovett contributed reporting for this story. SweSwe Aye is a Los Angeles-based journalist with Myanmar Gazette.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2013 In 2021, Mya...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82787,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82786\/revisions\/82787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}