UN Expert Slams US Move to End Myanmar TPS as Dangerous and Inhumane

“Defying reality, this decision puts thousands at extreme risk while legitimising a brutal regime that continues to use weapons of war to attack civilians,” Andrews said.

A United Nations human rights expert has issued a blistering condemnation of the United States' decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Myanmar nationals, calling the move a "cruel fiction" that ignores the reality of a country engulfed in escalating violence and repression.

Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, warned that withdrawing protections for nearly 4,000 Myanmar nationals places them at extreme risk and legitimises a military junta responsible for widespread atrocities.

"Defying reality, this decision puts thousands at extreme risk while legitimising a brutal regime that continues to use weapons of war to attack civilians," Andrews said.

TPS Termination Ignites Global Concern

On 25 November 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that TPS for Myanmar would be terminated effective 26 January 2026. The decision, made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, claimed that "conditions in Myanmar no longer hinder the safe return" of its citizens—a justification Andrews called profoundly disconnected from the facts.

TPS allows nationals from countries in crisis—conflict, natural disasters, or systemic instability—to live and work temporarily in the United States until conditions improve. Human rights groups and Myanmar diaspora organisations reacted with shock, stressing that Myanmar's situation has deteriorated, not stabilised, since the 2021 military coup.

Myanmar's Escalating Crisis: Widespread Violence and Repression

Andrews emphasised that Myanmar remains one of the world's most dangerous countries, with the military (Tatmadaw) committing:

• Airstrikes on civilian communities

• Village burnings and mass displacement

• Torture, arbitrary detention, and executions

• Targeted attacks on ethnic and religious minorities

• Suppression of journalists, activists, and political opponents

"Attacks on civilians have reached record highs this year," Andrews said. "The military burns villages, bombs churches, and jails, tortures, and executes its opponents."

International monitors estimate that more than 2.5 million people have been displaced, thousands killed, and entire communities decimated by military campaigns.

US Justification Based on "Deeply Disturbing" Assumptions

Secretary Noem referenced "upcoming elections" and a claimed "ceasefire" as reasons for ending TPS. But Andrews said these claims rely on the junta's propaganda.

"The sham polls being staged by the junta are nothing more than a charade to entrench military dominance," he said.

He added that free and fair elections are impossible in a country where:

• Opposition leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are imprisoned

• Political parties have been banned

• Independent media is dismantled

• Civilians live under surveillance, intimidation, and fear

• Voting is controlled by the military

"No credible observer disputes these facts," Andrews noted.

High Risk of Persecution for TPS Beneficiaries

Many of the Myanmar nationals currently under TPS in the United States include:

• Democracy activists

• Ethnic minority advocates

• Students involved in anti-coup protests

• Journalists and human rights defenders

• Individuals targeted by the regime for political views

Returning these individuals, Andrews warns, could expose them to:

• Arbitrary arrest

• Torture and forced confessions

• Forced conscription into the military

• Extrajudicial execution

Such forced returns would violate the principle of non-refoulement, a bedrock of international human rights and refugee law, which forbids returning anyone to a country where they face serious harm.

"It would be morally indefensible and potentially unlawful," Andrews said.

A Call for the United States to Uphold Its Core Values

Andrews urged the US government to reconsider its decision, aligning with its longstanding history of supporting democracy and human rights worldwide.

"It is in the United States' national interest—and consistent with its international obligations—to protect those who will help rebuild Myanmar as a democratic, rights-respecting nation."

The Special Rapporteur confirmed that he has been in contact with US authorities regarding the matter, stressing the urgent need to protect vulnerable Myanmar nationals and to avoid actions that could embolden the military junta.

Human rights organisations across the globe are now calling for:

• Immediate reinstatement of TPS

• A comprehensive review of the decision

• Broader humanitarian protections for Myanmar nationals

As the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar deepens, the US decision has heightened fears that thousands may soon be compelled to return to a war zone where persecution, violence, and systemic abuses remain the norm.