TPS Update: What’s Happening, Why It Matters in Arizona, and What Advocates Can Do

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a humanitarian immigration protection for people already living in the United States who cannot safely return to their home countries because of armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS does not create a path to citizenship, but it does provide temporary protection from deportation and authorization to work.

In recent weeks, TPS protections have narrowed dramatically. The Supreme Court allowed the administration to move forward with ending TPS for 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,000 from Syria, and federal courts have since allowed the administration to end protections for people from South Sudan, Myanmar/Burma, Somalia, and more than 5,000 from Ethiopia. For many TPS holders, this means the loss of work authorization, increased risk of deportation, fear of family separation, and uncertainty after years — sometimes decades — of living, working, worshiping, paying taxes, raising families, and contributing to U.S. communities.

This matters in Arizona. TPS holders are our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, caregivers, congregation members, business owners, parents, and friends. Arizona has thousands of residents with TPS, and immigrant workers are part of the fabric of our state’s economy, especially in fields such as construction, food service, care work, hospitality, agriculture, and other essential industries. When people lose work authorization, the impact does not stop with one household. Families lose income, employers lose trusted workers, congregations lose stability, and communities lose neighbors who have long been part of daily life.

For Arizona Lutherans, this is also a faith issue. The ELCA social message on immigration teaches that “hospitality for the uprooted is a way to live out the biblical call to love the neighbor.” TPS holders are people who have been granted protection because returning home was unsafe. Many now face the possibility of being forced back into conditions of violence, disaster, political instability, or humanitarian crisis. Our faith calls us to see the human beings behind the policy category.

This is also a due process and family unity issue. Many TPS holders have U.S. citizen children, deep community ties, long work histories, and no realistic “home” to return to. Ending TPS without a meaningful transition or congressional solution risks separating families, destabilizing employers and congregations, and pushing longtime lawful workers into crisis.

What advocates can do

1. Contact Arizona’s members of Congress

Ask Arizona’s U.S. senators and representatives to support legislation that protects TPS holders, restores stability for families and employers, and creates a pathway for longtime residents who have built their lives here. Congress has the power to act, and congressional action is now more urgent because court challenges are becoming less effective.

A simple message might be:

“Please support protections for Temporary Protected Status holders. TPS holders are longtime members of our communities, workplaces, congregations, and families. Ending TPS will separate families, destabilize employers, and put people at risk of deportation to unsafe conditions. Congress should act to protect TPS holders and provide a stable path forward.”

2. Share local stories

Lawmakers need to hear how this affects Arizona. If your congregation, ministry, workplace, school, or neighborhood includes TPS holders or immigrant families affected by this uncertainty, consider sharing those stories — with permission and careful attention to safety. Stories from employers, pastors, teachers, health care workers, social service providers, and family members can help policymakers understand the real-world consequences.

3. Support trusted legal resources

Anyone with TPS, or whose work authorization may be affected, should speak with a qualified immigration attorney or accredited nonprofit legal service provider as soon as possible. Immigration options vary by country, family situation, work history, asylum eligibility, and other factors. Congregations should not give legal advice, but they can help people connect with reputable legal support.

4. Watch for workplace and family impacts

The loss of TPS can affect not only deportation protection, but also employment authorization. Employers, schools, churches, and social service providers may see ripple effects: sudden job loss, housing instability, fear of driving or traveling, family stress, and increased need for emergency assistance. Faith communities can prepare by strengthening relationships with immigrant-serving organizations and local legal-service providers.

5. Pray, accompany, and advocate

This is a moment for both compassion and public witness. We pray for people facing fear and uncertainty. We accompany neighbors seeking safety. And we advocate for policies that honor human dignity, family unity, due process, and the common good.

Temporary Protected Status was created because some people cannot safely return home. When conditions remain dangerous, our response should not be abandonment. As Lutherans, we are called to love the neighbor, welcome the stranger, and speak up when public policy puts families and communities at risk.

LAMA encourages Arizona advocates to use the ELCA Action Alert, contact Congress, and ask for lasting protections for TPS holders.