Last week, Senators and Representatives of the House of Representatives sent the Departments of State and Homeland Security letters asking the Trump Administration to reverse course and maintain temporary protected status (TPS) for Burmese refugees
This week, Democratic members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate sent coordinated letters to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the administration to reverse its recent termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burmese nationals. The termination, announced in late November, threatens to strip more than 4,000 Burmese nationals in the U.S. of their legal protection from deportation, effective January 26, 2026.
House and Senate Lawmakers Speak Out
- House Letter (Dec. 4, 2025): Led by Reps. Timothy Kennedy and Betty McCollum, the House letter was signed by 12 members including Nikema Williams, Pramila Jayapal, Ted Lieu, and James McGovern. It highlights the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Burma, citing civil war, ethnic persecution, civilian airstrikes, and natural disaster impacts, including a 2025 earthquake that displaced hundreds of thousands. Lawmakers emphasized that ending TPS would place Burmese nationals back into a country plagued by violence, instability, and human rights abuses.
- Senate Letter (Dec. 5, 2025): Led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and signed by nine other senators including Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine, and Tammy Duckworth, the Senate letter echoed the House’s concerns. It called on the administration to make Burma a diplomatic priority, promote accountability for atrocities via international mechanisms, and fully implement the BURMA Act, including resuming U.S. foreign assistance. Like the House letter, it emphasized that the termination of TPS is inconsistent with the ongoing crisis and U.S. national interest in regional stability.
Both letters underline that the administration’s decision was based on speculation about political developments in Burma, rather than the reality of ongoing violence, human rights violations, and displacement affecting millions of civilians.
A Country in Crisis
Since the military coup in February 2021, Burma has been engulfed in civil war. Civilians continue to face atrocities including:
- Unlawful killings, disappearances, and torture
- Attacks on hospitals, schools, and places of worship
- Forced labor and recruitment of children
- Widespread starvation and forced displacement
Humanitarian needs are staggering: 21.5 million people require assistance, and 3.5 million are internally displaced. The March 2025 earthquake left hundreds of thousands homeless, while military forces obstructed aid and intensified attacks.
The Stakes for Burmese Communities in the U.S.
TPS has allowed thousands of Burmese people to live safely in the United States, contribute to their communities, and support their families. Cities such as Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne have thriving Burmese populations. Termination of TPS risks uprooting these communities and forcing individuals back to life-threatening conditions in Burma.
Lawmakers’ Call to Action
The House and Senate letters call on the administration to:
- Reverse the cancellation of TPS for Burmese nationals
- Redesignate TPS, ensuring legal protection continues
- Prioritize Burma diplomatically, support humanitarian aid, and hold perpetrators accountable for ongoing atrocities
These letters demonstrate a unified, bicameral effort to ensure U.S. policy reflects both humanitarian obligations and national security interests in Southeast Asia.
Why This Matters
TPS has long been a tool to protect people fleeing conflict and disaster. With January 2026 approaching, the fate of thousands of Burmese families hangs in the balance. Lawmakers’ advocacy underscores the need for moral leadership and the protection of vulnerable communities amid ongoing violence in Burma.
You can read the letter from Senators here.
You can read the letter from House Members here.
The State Department issued a travel warning for that nation in May 2025, and nothing has changed there since.
The warning says:
Updated to reflect changes to risk indicators, restrictions on U.S. government personnel, and the “If you decide to travel to Burma” section.
Do not travel to Burma due to armed conflict, the potential for civil unrest, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, poor health infrastructure, land mines and unexploded ordnance, crime, and wrongful detentions.
Country Summary: The Burma military regime deposed elected leaders and officials in a February 2021 coup d’état. Protests and demonstrations against military rule can occur on significant dates. The military has responded to those protests with violence and by arbitrarily detaining protesters and bystanders.
The Department has determined that U.S. nationals are at significant risk of wrongful detention by military regime authorities. Wrongfully detained U.S. nationals have been held in prison for years, often in poor conditions and without fair and transparent treatment or consistent access to U.S. Embassy officials or their families.
Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing armed conflict and potential civil unrest in Burma, U.S. government employees working in Burma may be prohibited from traveling within the country.
Due to the risks in the country, dependents under the age of 21 cannot accompany U.S. government employees who work in Burma.
Armed conflicts occur throughout Burma, and the potential for civil unrest is high. The level of armed conflict and civil unrest varies significantly between and within states and regions and may change at any time.
Attacks by opposition militia on locations connected to the military and security authorities regularly occur in Rangoon and many other parts of the country. Local opposition militia groups actively operate around the country. Travelers are cautioned of the potential for the regime to limit access to highways and airports, causing an isolating situation.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are used in the ongoing armed conflicts, including within the greater Rangoon area. From January to December 2024, the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon calculated an average of 21 explosions per month detonated against regime personnel and facilities in Rangoon. Outside of Rangoon, there have been IED attacks against checkpoints and military, administrative, and police facilities.
Land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) exist throughout Burma, and their locations are often not marked or otherwise unidentifiable. The military regime will often arbitrarily enforce local laws, includingdetaining individuals without fair and transparent treatment. Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, are not excluded from this practice. U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Burma may be detained, and regime authorities could deny a prisoner access to U.S. consular services or information about the alleged crime.
Local law enforcement officials may also detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for speaking out or protesting against the military regime, including on their personal social media accounts, and for sending private electronic messages critical of the military regime, regardless of whether they were physically in Burma when they did so.
Burma has limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources.
Please note the emphasis comes from the State Department. You can read the entire warning here. If Myanmar is not safe for visitors, it is also not safe from refugees.