Five years ago, Burma\u2019s\u00a0burgeoning\u00a0democracy was\u00a0upended in a bloody coup by the military junta.<\/p>\n
A devastating civil war unfolded\u00a0between the military junta\u2014\u00a0the Tatmadaw\u2014and\u00a0various ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy groups.<\/p>\n
Burma, the southeast Asian country also known as Myanmar, remains unsafe after years of internal conflict, forced displacement, and fragility from conflict and natural disasters. While elections were organized by the junta in late 2025, U.S. policymakers of both parties\u00a0have been clear<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0these elections were\u00a0a \u201csham\u201d meant to legitimize\u00a0the\u00a0junta\u2019s\u00a0repressive rule.<\/p>\n The United States has offered refuge and temporary protection to Burmese nationals under various statuses. But the promise of those protections\u00a0has been rolled back in recent months\u2014to the detriment of thousands and\u00a0the communities that support them.<\/p>\n Temporary Protection for Burmese Immigrants<\/p>\n Shortly after\u00a0the\u00a0February\u00a01, 2021,\u00a0coup, the Department of Homeland Security\u00a0(DHS)\u00a0designated<\/a>\u00a0Burma\u00a0for Temporary Protected Status. TPS provides access to work authorization and protection from removal for nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, disasters, or other unsafe conditions.<\/p>\n Several thousand Burmese nationals in the United States have relied on TPS for status and for work permits to support themselves.<\/p>\n In recent years, Global Refuge has joined civil society groups urging both\u00a0the Biden<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0second Trump administrations<\/a>\u00a0to keep\u00a0Burma\u00a0designated\u00a0for TPS\u2014highlighting ongoing conflict, humanitarian needs, human rights abuses, and other forms of insecurity in the country.<\/p>\n In November 2025, DHS\u00a0Secretary Noem\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0she would terminate TPS for\u00a0Burma, in part citing the junta\u2019s plans for \u201cfree and fair elections.\u201d\u00a0Days before this termination\u00a0was to take\u00a0effect\u00a0on January 26,\u00a0a federal judge\u00a0in Illinois\u00a0delayed the termination while a lawsuit\u00a0on the termination\u00a0proceeds<\/a>.<\/p>\n The status for\u00a0nearly 4,000\u00a0Burmese nationals\u00a0remains\u00a0in\u00a0the balance.<\/p>\n Pathways to Safety<\/p>\n For many years, Burmese have been one of the top nationalities for the U.S. refugee admissions program,\u00a0the system that\u00a0vets, resettles,\u00a0and supports refugees in the United States.<\/p>\n Resettlement is\u00a0an important\u00a0durable solution\u00a0for Rohingya Muslims from\u00a0Burma,\u00a0who fled acts of genocide by the junta in 2017 and\u00a0have since remained\u00a0in overcrowded camps in eastern Bangladesh.<\/p>\n However, the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0refugee\u00a0program\u00a0remains\u00a0largely\u00a0suspended\u00a0under\u00a0a\u00a0January 2025 executive\u00a0order<\/a>\u00a0and under\u00a0a record-low admissions target\u00a0for this fiscal year<\/a>. Moreover, Burma was included in multiple travel bans the Trump administration announced in 2025\u2014blocking nearly all entry of Burmese nationals from the United States.<\/p>\n Even if refugee admissions were to resume\u00a0more broadly, Burmese nationals\u00a0could continue to\u00a0face heightened travel\u00a0restrictions.<\/p>\n Permanency and Stable Status for Burmese Refugees<\/p>\n Burmese who have already resettled\u00a0as refugees\u00a0in the United States\u00a0now face\u00a0new roadblocks to permanent status\u00a0and heightened uncertainty.\u00a0Under a government memo from November 2025, all refugees admitted from January 2021 to February 2025 are subject\u00a0to a pause on green card decisions\u2014delaying their access to lawful permanent resident status.<\/p>\n Furthermore, many other applications these individuals have filed will be frozen under\u00a0a\u00a0separate government memo<\/a>\u00a0applying to nationalities subject to travel bans, including Burmese.<\/p>\n Lawfully admitted refugees have also been arrested and detained under\u00a0Operation PARRIS\u00a0in Minnesota<\/a>.\u00a0In one case, a refugee\u00a0mother\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0heart condition\u2014admitted from\u00a0Burma\u00a0in 2024\u2014was\u00a0arrested while breastfeeding her\u00a0five-month old\u00a0child\u00a0and\u00a0subsequently\u00a0transferred to Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the Court recognizes that many families are suffering due to Operation PARRIS and other ICE actions in\u2026 Minnesota, there is something particularly craven about transferring a nursing refugee mother out-of-state,\u201d\u00a0a judge found<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n How can I help Burmese immigrants and refugees?<\/p>\n In towns in Michigan, Indiana, and across the country, Burmese nationals are critical contributors\u00a0to\u00a0their communities.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s\u00a0how you can stay involved in supporting protections and pathways for Burmese:<\/p>\n Legislation<\/p>\n TPS for\u00a0Burma\u00a0bill: Rep. Huizenga, Republican of Michigan,\u00a0introduced legislation this month<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0designate\u00a0Burma\u00a0for TPS, arguing \u201cforcing Burmese who have legally taken refuge in the United States to return to an ongoing civil war is antithetical to the purpose of TPS.\u201d\u00a0This bill is\u00a0HR\u00a07014<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burma GAP Act: A bipartisan group of lawmakers\u00a0have\u00a0introduced and advanced<\/a>\u00a0the Burma Genocide Accountability and Protection (GAP) Act as\u00a0HR 4140<\/a>. This bill would\u00a0seek\u00a0to improve the humanitarian response to provide protection, support, and\u00a0assistance\u00a0to Rohingya refugee and internally displaced people in\u00a0Burma. Global Refuge has endorsed this bill.<\/p>\n