DHS extends protections for Burmese nationals who fled to US

The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that it had extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through May 2024 for Burmese nationals who fled to the U.S. due to a military coup last year.

The latest extension will allow 970 individuals to retain their TPS status for at least 18 months. An estimated 2,290 additional individuals in the U.S. as of Sept. 25 will also be eligible for the extension.

Since February 2021, Burma, also referred to as Myanmar, has been under a military coup, with reports of human rights abuses, mass displacement of civilians and sweeping arrests and violence being used against peaceful protesters.

“The people of Burma are continuing to suffer a complex and deteriorating humanitarian crisis due to a military coup, upheaval, and security forces’ brutal violence against civilians,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.  

“Under this extension and redesignation, Burmese nationals and habitual residents will be eligible to temporarily stay in the United States until conditions in the country improve and individuals can safely return.”

The coup has led to growing economic isolation and worsening humanitarian conditions in the country, causing limited access to shelter, food, water and medical care. 

Earlier this month, a Myanmar court sentenced former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison for alleged election fraud, adding to the 17 years she’s already serving for convictions at the hands of the military-ruled government. 

According to human rights groups, more than 2,000 civilians have been killed by security forces since the military took power.