Human rights groups slammed DHS’s decision to end TPS for nearly 4,000 Myanmar nationals, as the country continues to face a brutal military
Minnah Arshad at Zeteo:
The Trump administration this week revealed its latest target in its crackdown on temporary asylum: Myanmar nationals fleeing a bloody civil war, a brutal military dictatorship, and a worsening humanitarian crisis. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that it was ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 4,000 citizens of Myanmar who are currently in the US – a move human rights groups slammed as dangerous and inconsistent with the reality on the ground. “Homeland Secretary Kirsti Noem is treating those people just like her family’s dog that she famously shot down in cold blood because it misbehaved,” said Phil Robertson, the director of Asian Human Rights and Labour Advocates. “If her order is carried out, she will literally be sending them back to prisons, brutal torture, and death in Myanmar.”
The TPS designation allows people from listed countries to stay and work in the US if it’s unsafe for them to return to their home country due to a war, natural disaster, or other conflict.
In its notice, DHS acknowledged that Myanmar continues to face “humanitarian challenges,” but attempted to justify its decision to end the TPS designation, which will take effect on Jan. 26, by claiming there have “been improvements in [Myanmar’s] governance and stability at the national and local levels.” It cited the junta’s revocation of the state of emergency this year and the country’s upcoming elections.
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Myanmar is ranked second for conflict intensity after Palestine by the global conflict monitor ACLED. Nearly 20 million people need humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, according to the UN. Myanmar’s ongoing civil war that erupted in 2021 has killed thousands of people and displaced 3 million others. The death toll varies greatly, but the ACLED estimates up to 90,000 fatalities.
The Arakan Army, which is warring against the Myanmar military and represents the Rakhine ethnic majority, is accused by international human rights groups of serious abuses against Rohingya, the predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, including executions, torture, forced labor, and large-scale arson. The Myanmar military has also been accused of airstrikes on homes, schools, and hospitals, as well as executions and systematic torture in detention facilities.
Ending TPS for Myanmar (Burma) nationals is reckless by the Trump Regime.
