The US Supreme Court has ruled that lower courts cannot block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians, a decision that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin followed by offering plane tickets and $2,100 in resettlement cash to those who choose to leave. The ruling, viewed from Washington, exposes beneficiaries from 17 countries to potential deportation, as the Trump administration has already moved to revoke designations for 13 of them, including Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Ukraine. The DHS argues that TPS is by definition temporary and that migrants should seek permanent legal status or depart.

Federal agencies are simultaneously narrowing other pathways to legal residency. A May memorandum from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) directs that certain migrants on temporary authorisations must leave the country and apply for a green card at a consulate abroad, a shift that analysts in Washington say will most affect California, Florida, Texas, and New York, which together accounted for over half of all in-country adjustments of status in 2023. Separately, a Supreme Court ruling in Blanche v. Lau permits border officials to treat green card holders as applicants for admission if they have committed crimes involving moral turpitude, even without a conviction. Immigration attorneys in Ohio recommend that undocumented individuals carry proof of continuous US residence exceeding two years—such as birth certificates of US-born children, tax records, or pay stubs—to avoid expedited removal under a parallel court decision that lifted a block on fast-track deportations.

At the state level, a divergence in enforcement philosophy is emerging. Mississippi has enacted a law, effective 1 July, requiring its Department of Public Safety to compile a registry of undocumented immigrants, including names, addresses, and criminal histories, and to share that data with state and local law enforcement. The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi warns the measure will erode trust in police and invite profiling, while the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based group favouring lower immigration, contends it increases the likelihood that federal authorities learn of unlawful presence. In contrast, New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles has launched a commemorative license plate for the US semiquincentennial that is available to anyone with a valid state driver’s license, including those obtained under the Green Light Law, which does not require proof of immigration status. The DMV does not share applicant data with immigration agencies absent a judicial order.

Beyond the United States, other governments are expanding documentation requirements that, while not directly targeting migration, impose new verification burdens. Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) announced that private vehicles older than four years must undergo mandatory annual inspections starting 1 July, at a cost of 2,000 shillings, though traffic officers will not enforce the rule during routine stops for now. The policy, which the NTSA says is already anchored in law, has drawn criticism from opposition figures who call it insensitive amid rising living costs. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that holding a US visa does not guarantee entry, and that border officials may request proof of return flights and accommodation. Mexican citizens must also carry a valid passport, and those crossing by land can use a Border Crossing Card, but only for direct entry from Mexico.

The TPS terminations are expected to face further legal challenges, though the Supreme Court’s reasoning may lead to the dismissal of pending lawsuits. In Kenya, the NTSA says it will communicate enforcement timelines later, while Mississippi’s registry takes effect immediately. Across these jurisdictions, the common thread is an intensification of official documentation regimes, with direct consequences for individuals’ mobility and legal standing.