Rights groups slam US move to end protected status for Myanmar nationals

Mizzima

Rights advocates and Myanmar observers are condemning Washington’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 4,000 Myanmar nationals in the United States, warning that the move could force people back into an active warzone and hand a propaganda victory to the military junta.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on 24 November that TPS status would end on 26 January 2026 for nationals of a number of countries, including Myanmar.

DHS claims that conditions in Myanmar had “improved enough” for citizens to return safely. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Myanmar – which the US government refers to as Burma – had made “notable progress in governance and stability,” pointing to the junta’s lifting of a state of emergency in July, its promise of elections beginning next month, and purported ceasefires with armed groups.

The junta was quick to seize on the announcement, portraying it as evidence of international support for its planned December–January polls. The elections, however, are widely dismissed as a sham by the opposition, Myanmar political observers, and human rights organisations.

State media urged Myanmar nationals in the US to “come back and vote,” even as fighting continues across much of the country and reports continue of forcible conscription into the military’s ranks.