Supreme Court rules against migrants who entered illegally

A couple from El Salvador who came to the United States without authorization cannot apply for permanent residency even though they received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) while here. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that thousands of immigrants in similar situations are ineligible for green cards.

What is Temporary Protected Status? The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster. It protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. There are 400,000 TPS recipients from 12 countries with TPS. Monday’s ruling applies only to those who entered the country illegally, not to people who came after receiving TPS.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s analysis of oral arguments in the case on The World and Everything in It podcast.