Khaberni - Syrians in the United States breathed a sigh of relief after a federal court in New York ordered the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to postpone the termination of the Temporary Protected Status for 6,100 Syrians following a lawsuit filed by some of them to prevent this policy from taking effect.
However, many Syrians are still living in a state of anticipation, waiting for the final decision from the judiciary.
A report by Mohammad Al-Ahmad on Al Jazeera channel discussed the anxiety prevalent among Syrians in the United States despite the federal court's decision. Hazem Rehawi, an activist in the Syrian-American organizations, considered the postponement issued by the court an important step, but he saw that the problem is not just in terminating the Temporary Protected Status for Syrians as much as in the challenges of implementation on the ground.
Hazem - speaking to Al Jazeera - mentioned that Syrians dream of returning to their homeland, but they need time to complete their procedures, in addition to the fact that Syria is still in a stage of reconstruction.
It is worth noting that Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program established by Congress in 1990 for immigrants from countries stricken by exceptional conditions such as wars. Beneficiaries of this status are protected from deportation and are allowed to work in the United States.
Temporary Protected Status was first granted to Syrians in 2012 following the Syrian revolution.
Abdul Razzaq Al-Halabi has benefited from this program, as he works and lives in the state of Georgia. However, since the Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria by the end of this month, he has been living in a state of anxiety that has affected his health due to concerns about the future of him and his family, as he himself explained to Al Jazeera.
Seven Syrians filed a lawsuit with support from human rights organizations against Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. The lawsuit aims to pressure the U.S. government to continue providing protection and work permits to thousands of Syrians for legal and humanitarian reasons.
According to Megan Hoptman, a lawyer with the "International Refugee Assistance Project" representing the plaintiffs in the case, the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria is part of a broader plan set by the Trump administration to end this status entirely. This is partly, the lawyer continues, due to discrimination against non-white and non-European immigrants in the United States.
Those holding Temporary Protected Status face significant harm as a result of this sudden termination, as they - as reported by Al Jazeera - risk losing their work permit and protection from arrest and deportation.
It should be noted that the U.S. State Department still ranks Syria at Level 4 for travel warnings due to the security situation.
Advocates for immigrants believe that those registered in the Temporary Protected Status program may be forced to return to conditions that are still unsafe in their home countries.
