How Legal Uncertainty and Expanded Deportability Affect Recent Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in New York City and Washington, D.C.

The Trump administration has proposed terminating most Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole programs, which allow individuals from select countries to enter the U.S. with permission, apply for asylum, and obtain work permits. In June 2026, it ended TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians. Sociologist Ernesto Castañeda, anthropologist Lauren Carruth, and applied developmental and educational psychologist Maria De Jesus will examine how these changes to immigration policy affect the social and economic integration of new arrivals in New York City and the D.C. metropolitan area. They will analyze in-depth interviews with asylum seekers, TPS holders, legal, and undocumented immigrants before and after policy changes for their study.