158 Organizations Call for 18-Month Extension and Redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Burma (Myanmar)

Dear President Trump, Secretary Noem, and Secretary Rubio,

We are writing today to respectfully urge the Administration to extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma. Over 150 national, state, and local religious freedom, human rights, and civil society organizations have joined this request, calling on Secretary Noem to (1) provide an 18-month extension for current TPS holders from Burma, (2) expand the protections to more recently arrived Burmese individuals present in the United States by redesignating Burma for TPS, (3) provide a 180-day registration period for beneficiaries under the redesignation and the current designation’s extension, and (4) publish a timely notice in the Federal Register to avoid employment disruptions and other hardships that may result from any delays.

The call for an extension and redesignation of TPS for Burma comes in the wake of a devastating earthquake and escalating violence. Burma continues to face political turmoil, civil war, and mass displacement.

 

1. Since the 2021 military coup, armed conflict has forced over three million people from their homes.
2. Nearly 20 million people required humanitarian assistance before the earthquake, and that number is now expected to increase significantly in its aftermath.
3. When TPS for Burma was last extended and redesignated in March 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated that approximately 2,300 individuals were eligible under the existing designation, with an additional 7,300 expected to become newly eligible.
4. At the end of the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, only about 3,000 individuals had received TPS under the 2024 redesignation—well below the initial estimate.
5. While updated figures are not publicly available and likely fluctuate due to factors such as green card adjustments and new arrivals, the number of additional individuals who could benefit from redesignation is estimated to range between 1,000 and 3,000. This designation would not only provide much-needed stability for the individuals and families affected but also contribute positively to local communities and economies.
6. 7. Moreover, the relatively modest number of potential beneficiaries reflects a targeted, measured approach that aligns with the Administration’s broader strategy to manage migration in a responsible and orderly manner, while advancing regional stability and foreign policy objectives. 
7. I. Temporary Protected Status TPS is a humanitarian tool that permits nationals of designated countries to remain in the United States while conditions in their home country prevent safe return. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a country for TPS due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
8. TPS beneficiaries are authorized to remain in the United States during the designated period and may apply for employment authorization documents (EADs). While TPS does not provide a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, it offers essential, life-saving protection on a temporary basis to individuals who would otherwise face dangerous or life-threatening conditions if returned.
9. Country Conditions in Burma that Make Safe Returns Impossible
10. Environmental disaster

The recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Burma on March 28, 2025, has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis.

11. Even before the earthquake, 3.5 million people were internally displaced due to ongoing conflict.

12. The disaster caused significant casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure–further exacerbating the challenges faced by a population already burdened by armed conflict and political instability since the 2021 military coup.

13. As of late April, reports indicate nearly 3,800 fatalities and more than 5,000 injuries.

14. The earthquake led to the collapse of buildings, including hospitals and homes, displacing thousands more and leaving many without access to essential services.

15. Critical infrastructure has also been severely damaged, hindering access to food, clean water, and medical care.

16. The destruction of roads and communication networks has further complicated relief efforts.The overlap of conflict zones and earthquake-affected areas has made it difficult to deliver aid safely and effectively. The junta has been accused of blocking aid while carrying out ongoing airstrikes,

17. prompting international calls for unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance, including for earthquake survivors.

18. Although the military junta and resistance groups announced a temporary ceasefire on April 2 to facilitate relief and reconstruction efforts, fighting has continued, complicating humanitarian relief efforts further.

19. On April 10, a United Nations (UN) expert called for emergency Security Council action to address ceasefire violations19 in the wake of the earthquake.

20. TPS is urgently needed to protect Burmese nationals in the United States from being returned to a country still recovering from a major environmental disaster. The Burmese Government’s inability or unwillingness to provide equitable and timely relief amid ongoing conflict, displacement, and natural disaster demonstrates that the conditions preventing safe return to Burma are both ongoing and extraordinary.

These failures are not new. The aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in May 2023 parallels the current crisis and underscores the junta’s limited capacity to respond effectively to large-scale natural disasters. In 2023, the storm devastated parts of Rakhine State and other regions, displacing over 800,000 people and exacerbating preexisting humanitarian crises, particularly for ethnic minorities like the Rohingya.

21. Aid was obstructed or delayed by the military, and access to affected areas remained highly restricted, leaving many without food, shelter, or medical care.
22. The international community witnessed firsthand how the regime’s weaponization of

humanitarian assistance prolonged suffering and hindered recovery. In the aftermath of the March 2025 earthquake, the same patterns are emerging.

1. Ongoing armed conflict

In February 2021, the Burmese military overthrew the elected government in a coup, alleging fraud and irregularities in the November 2020 elections.

23. The coup was followed by the transfer of all executive, legislative, and judicial authority to the State Administration Council, an authoritarian military-run administrative organization.

24.The coup led to widespread civil disobedience and pro-democracy movements. Protesters were met with violence from military forces. Journalists, activists, and ordinary people continue to risk criminal charges and detention for voicing dissent. Verified reports indicate that the military junta has detained nearly 30,000 civilians, killing more than 6,500 of those in custody.

25. Since the military coup, Burma has been gripped by widespread and escalating armed conflict. The junta’s violent crackdown on dissent, coupled with resistance from pro-democracy groups and ethnic armed organizations, has led to a near-constant state of civil war. Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with reports of indiscriminate airstrikes, mass arrests, torture, rape, extrajudicial killing, mortar shelling, crossfire, and landmines in regions where the junta is attempting to assert its force over resistance groups.

26.The conflict shows no signs of abating. The scale, severity, and geographic spread of violence have rendered large portions of the country unstable and unsafe. Civilians remain at constant risk of persecution, conscription, and violent reprisal. These conditions make it impossible for Burmese nationals currently in the United States to return to their country safely.

In addition to the earthquake recovery, ongoing armed conflict, and humanitarian crisis, Burma continues to experience additional extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent the safe return of its nationals. These include deeply entrenched ethnic and religious persecution and new legal threats to civilians, such as the military’s reactivation of a conscription law. Ethnic minorities in Burma continue to face systemic discrimination, arbitrary detention, and violence.

27. The Rohingya,
28. in particular, remain subject to state-sanctioned discriminatory and segregationist policies, with over 600,000 confined to camps and villages in Rakhine State under severe movement restrictions.
29. Countless examples of exclusion, statelessness, and abuse have been well-documented by international human rights bodies and remain unresolved. Security forces have been accused of committing atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence, against the Rohingya population.
30. Religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims, have also been deliberately targeted by the Burmese military. Churches have been bombed, pastors and other religious leaders detained, and entire communities displaced under the pretext of counterinsurgency operations.

31. International actors, including the United States,
32. have condemned the military’s persecution of Christians and called for an end to the bombing and raiding of churches.

33,34 These patterns of persecution, rooted in longstanding discrimination and fueled by the junta’s efforts to maintain control, continue to create grave risks for returnees.

Compounding these dangers is the junta’s sudden enforcement of a 2010 conscription law in early 2024, which requires men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve in the military for up to five years.

35. For certain professional categories, such as medical doctors and engineers, the age range extends from 18 to 45 for men and 18 to 35 for women, with a service requirement of up to three years.
36. Its activation sparked widespread fear, panic, and flight among young people and professionals across the country.
37. Thousands attempted to flee Burma to avoid forced conscription into a military that is itself responsible for mass atrocities, risking three to five years in prison and a fine.
38. Amid the enforcement of the conscription law, Burma’s military junta has been soliciting bribes from individuals seeking to avoid mandatory military service. Reports indicate that even after paying these illicit fees, some individuals are still conscripted.
39. This exploitation exacerbates the financial strain on families already grappling with an economic downturn and the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

This law was dormant for over a decade but is now being enforced to address recruitment shortfalls amid mounting battlefield losses. The junta’s apparent desperation may signal the weakening of its grip on power and a potential shift toward a democratic transition.

The compounded hardships and extraordinary and temporary conditions—including systemic persecution and the threat of forced military service—make return not only dangerous but untenable. The Department of State currently designates Burma as a Level 4: Do Not Travel country, citing civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws40—clear indicators of the country’s instability and the risks returnees would face. TPS is urgently needed to protect Burmese nationals from these threats and ensure they are not forced to return to a country where their lives and freedoms are at risk.

III. TPS for Burma Aligns with U.S. Foreign Policy and Strategic Interests

Designating and extending TPS for Burma is not only a humanitarian imperative but also aligns with the United States’ broader foreign policy goals of promoting regional stability, democracy, and human rights. Since the 2021 military coup, the U.S. Government has consistently condemned the actions of the Burmese military junta and supported the people of Burma in their struggle for democracy.

On January 31, 2025, several governments—including the United States—issued a joint statement condemning the military regime’s escalating violence against civilians, including human rights violations, sexual and gender-based violence, and the systematic persecution and discrimination of religious and ethnic minorities.

41. Since the military coup in 2021, the United States has led international efforts to use sanctions, diplomatic engagement, and other tools to pressure the military regime to return Burma to the path to democracy.
42. Recent sanctions on other militia groups in May 2025 reflect both the deteriorating security situation and ongoing U.S. engagement in Burma, where human trafficking, cross-border smuggling, and violence by multiple armed actors have made return unsafe for civilians.

43. Through bipartisan legislation, Congress has worked to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes. The Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022 (BURMA Act) authorized the U.S. Government to impose further sanctions against the post-coup regime and provide aid to Burma’s opposition and resistance groups.
44. It also equipped the United States with additional tools to support pro-democracy actors in Burma. Bipartisan legislation introduced in 2025 aims to expand the BURMA Act’s provisions, reinforce U.S. efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for human rights abuses, and support democratic governance in Burma.
45. In parallel, the United States has committed significant humanitarian assistance to Burma.

Recently, the United States committed $9 million to support earthquake recovery efforts.

46. U.S. aid has supported emergency relief for displaced communities, healthcare services, food security, and civil society organizations working with persecuted religious and ethnic minorities. This aid reflects a recognition of the immense suffering inflicted by natural disasters and conflict and a commitment to alleviating human suffering and supporting long-term stability in the region. TPS complements these actions by protecting Burmese nationals already present in the United States—individuals who would face grave danger if forced to return. Offering TPS sends a powerful message of solidarity with the people of Burma and reinforces the U.S. position that the country is not safe for return. It also upholds American values and a commitment to security and prosperity, serving as an example to other countries.

 

1. Conclusion

Given the compounded crises of a natural disaster, ongoing armed conflict, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, and other extraordinary conditions, it is evident that Burmese nationals cannot safely return to their country at this time. If returned, Burmese nationals in the United States would face a heightened risk of being targeted by the military for their perceived association with the United States.

Extending and redesignating TPS for Burma would provide necessary protection for Burmese nationals in the United States, allowing them to remain until conditions in their home country improve. This action would also align with foreign interests and democratic principles and demonstrate the United States’ commitment to supporting vulnerable populations in times of crisis.

As highlighted above, the country conditions in Burma meet the statutory requirements for the extension and redesignation of TPS. We urge President Trump, Secretary Noem, Secretary Rubio, and other relevant decision-makers in the Administration to review country conditions and grant an 18-month extension and redesignation for eligible individuals. We also urge the Administration to show its strength by continuing to support Burmese nationals and expanding the protections to individuals who arrived in the United States after the last designation, as the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions persist and deteriorate.

We also request a 180-day registration period for beneficiaries under the extension and redesignation. Lastly, we request a timely publication of the Federal Register Notice to avoid employment disruptions and other hardships that may result from any delays.

We welcome the opportunity for continued dialogue and would appreciate the chance to meet with the Administration to discuss the current conditions in Burma that warrant an 18-month extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status. For further information or to arrange a meeting, please contact Aaron Nodjomian-Escajeda (aescajeda@refugees.org), Senior Policy Analyst at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).

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