When A. M., arrived in the United States in 2014 from Syria, he said he was drawn to the positive mindset of people. In the U.S., people are encouraged to accomplish big dreams and always keep growing. These were traits that he admired, and ones that stayed with him when he eventually started managing three restaurants and overseeing dozens of employees in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
“I try to keep the vibe positive and always try to listen to the employees,” the 32-year-old told Documented.
After working in the industry for five years, he said he eventually planned on opening a restaurant of his own.
But three weeks ago those plans were put on hold and replaced by uncertainty and sleepless nights. On Sept. 19, the Temporary Protected Status program (TPS), which allowed A.M. to live and work in the U.S. for the past 11 years, was terminated for Syrians.
“At the end of the night, you just sit and think about what happened during the day and what’s next,” said A.M., who asked that only his initials be used for privacy reasons. “Giving us only two months to wrap up everything we have done in 11 years is not enough.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminated the TPS designation for Syria, saying the country no longer met the conditions for the designation. DHS also cited ongoing terrorism and extremism as factors, claiming that continuing TPS for Syria is “contrary to U.S. national interests.”
Syria is the eighth country to have its TPS status terminated, following Nicaragua, Honduras, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Venezuela and Haiti — which together impacts more than 1 million immigrants. The terminations have faced ongoing legal battles in the courts, with a decision on Oct. 3 by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing the Trump administration to revoke protections for 600,000 Venezuelans.
The decision leaves more than 6,000 Syrian TPS holders facing a Nov. 21 deadline to find other legal pathways to stay in the U.S. or risk deportation.
Several TPS holders who spoke with Documented said the move ignores the reality in Syria, where instability and the lingering effects of the civil war still prevent many people from safely returning. They also said the termination reflects the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.
A. M. left Syria in 2014, three years after protests spiraled into a civil war against President Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled the country for nearly half a century. The conflict, which began in 2011, has displaced more than 12 million people and forced over six million to flee the country as refugees, according to the United Nations. A.M. said his home city of Idlib suffered heavy destruction during clashes between Assad’s forces and rebel groups, leaving him little choice but to leave the country.
Under TPS, individuals can apply for a work permit, travel outside the country with Advance Parole, and are also protected from deportation as long as their country’s circumstances are deemed unchanged by DHS. TPS does not directly provide a legal pathway for Legal Permanent Residency or citizenship, though it can allow individuals to pursue other immigration relief, such as work visas or family based petitions, if they qualify.
Since arriving in the U.S. alone, A.M. said he has been the sole provider for his family in Syria, and said that he had been hopeful that the TPS designation for Syria, which was set to expire in September of this year, would be extended.
“I’ve been panicking. I have had three panic attacks since the announcement. Basically three in less than two weeks,” A.M. told Documented, adding that one of the panic attacks landed him in the hospital. Since Sept. 20, he has seen five lawyers about his case. “Mostly they say that I don’t have any other options. So kind of just to prepare myself to struggle because there is nothing you can do.”
He added that even if he were to send a new petition for another form of legal protection, the window to receive an answer is very small because USCIS takes a long time to process petitions.
Across the state, other Syrian TPS holders have also been searching for legal pathways to remain in the country, said Deema Abdo, co- founder of Immigrants Act Now, an organization that protects and empowers Arab immigrants in the U.S. “Families worry about separation, students fear losing their education, and workers fear losing their livelihoods — all with just 60 days to prepare.”
Deema added that her organization has been connecting the Syrian community with free legal consultations, sharing bilingual resources and hosting community meetings to ensure immigrants do not go through these changes alone. “We urge the administration to extend protections for Syrians, reflecting America’s humanitarian values and ensuring families are not forced into unsafe returns.”
Mohamed, a physician working in a hospital in Syracuse, NY, agrees that the termination of TPS is unprecedented and puts Syrian TPS holders, like himself, at risk of returning to a country that still faces instability. “For example, my hometown of Aleppo, almost 40 percent of the city is destroyed. So people are just trying to survive there,” the 38-year-old said, who requested Documented use of only his first name. “When you have this sort of violence and insecurities and you have people who want to take advantage of people, kidnap them and try to rob them…there is no law.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin disagrees. In a press release on Sept. 19, McLaughlin said: “Conditions in Syria no longer prevent their nationals from returning home. Syria has been a hotbed of terrorism and extremism for nearly two decades, and it is contrary to our national interest to allow Syrians to remain in our country. TPS is meant to be temporary.”
In response to McLaughlin, Mohamed explained that although the news media celebrated the downfall of the Assad regime back in December 2024, little progress has actually been made in the past 10 months toward addressing the instability that was left behind during the 24-year-rule of the Assad regime.
Mohamed also believes that the 60-day timeframe is too short for TPS holders to settle their affairs in the U.S. “We are not asking for five years. We are not saying four years. We are asking for a realistic time. You can’t just terminate everything,” he said, adding that his biggest concern is abandoning his 69-year-old mother, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and depends on him financially. “She does not understand that [TPS was terminated] but she will be devastated,” he said.
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Mohamad has been a beneficiary of TPS since 2013, and said he has been speaking with lawyers to see what legal pathways could help him remain in the U.S. after Nov. 21.
“I have a current green card petition through my mother, but it’s going to take years,” he said, “I swear to God, I will never ever sit one minute illegally in this country. Because I am a physician. To stay here illegally, that’s not a life.”
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
A.M. said that the ending TPS for Syrians in the U.S. also contradicts the message that president Trump said when he signed a continuation of the National Emergency in Relation to Syria on Sept. 30 which stated that the situation in Syria “endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region.”
“How can you say that the situation in Syria is still unsafe and not recommend anyone to travel there. And then on the same page, on the termination, say that Syria is a safe place now to live? That there is no more for TPS applicants to stay in the States,” said A.M, who says his hometown of Idlib is still experiencing deadly explosions as a result of conflict with foreign fighters who still have bases in the region.
“From what I have seen so far, we’ve seen little improvement in life in Syria. The basic needs of human beings are not there yet,” A.M. said. “I’m not sure what to do. Should I focus on where to go after here or should I focus on how to wrap up stuff I’ve been investing in?”
