US Supreme Court to Review Trump's Bid to End Temporary Protection for Syrians, Haitians

Supreme Court to Consider Ending Temporary Protected Status

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear arguments concerning the legality of the Trump administration's decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals and approximately 6,100 Syrians residing in the United States. This move is part of the Republican president's broader program for mass deportations.

The justices have maintained two lower court injunctions that currently prevent the administration's decision to end temporary protection for citizens of Syria and Haiti from taking effect, pending the outcome of legal challenges to the policy. The Supreme Court is expected to hear these cases next month, a decision that will significantly impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals who have lived and worked in the U.S. for many years, as reported by Reuters.

Intensified US Diplomatic Efforts Against Iran and its Allies

In a related development, an internal U.S. State Department cable, reviewed by Reuters, revealed that the Trump administration on Monday urged American diplomats abroad to press allies to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. The directive cited an "increased risk of attacks" as the rationale for this intensified diplomatic push.

The cable, dated March 16 and signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular missions worldwide. It instructed diplomats to convey the message to their counterparts "at the highest appropriate level" by March 20, adding that efforts to blacklist the groups should be coordinated with Israeli counterparts.

The Trump administration is attempting to rally reluctant allies, many of whom were not informed prior to the US-Israeli air war that began two weeks ago, to support its ongoing military operation. However, initial indications suggest difficulties in these efforts. Several U.S. allies stated on Monday that they currently do not plan to send ships to assist Washington in opening the Strait of Hormuz, thereby rejecting Trump's appeal to keep the vital oil shipping lane open.

One talking point in the cable stated: "With the increased risk of attacks by Iran and its partners and proxies, all governments must act quickly to reduce Iran and its allied terrorist groups' capabilities to attack our nations and citizens." While the United States and some other countries already classify both the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, the cable did not provide details on the increased risks but offered examples of how Tehran has attacked its neighbors in the Middle East and urged joint action. Washington's assessment, according to the cable, is that "the Iranian regime is more sensitive to collective action than to unilateral actions." A State Department spokesperson added that "Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah, and other Iran-backed proxies destabilize governments and undermine regional peace."

Domestic Challenges: Staff Health and Air Travel Chaos

Domestically, President Donald Trump announced on social media Monday that Susie Wiles, a senior White House staffer, had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Trump affirmed that Wiles would continue her work during treatment, describing her prognosis as "excellent" and calling her "one of the toughest people I know."

Meanwhile, the United States experienced widespread air travel disruptions on Monday, with over 10,000 flights delayed or canceled amidst a series of storms affecting several major airports, particularly along the East Coast. Due to the risk of high winds and severe thunderstorms, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered flight delays at all three New York City area airports (LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark), as well as Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, Charlotte and Atlanta airports, and Bush Airport in Houston.

Flight-tracking website FlightAware reported that over 6,500 flights in the U.S. were delayed and more than 3,500 canceled by 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. A major winter storm also disrupted flights in the Midwest and Great Lakes states. Approximately one-third of flights for American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines were delayed or canceled, while United Airlines saw a 25 percent disruption rate. The U.S. government also ordered federal employees in the Washington area to leave their offices early due to hazardous weather conditions.