{"id":1942,"date":"2026-06-10T19:01:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T19:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/10\/trump-targeting-immigrants-from-countries-hit-most-by-climate-shocks\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T19:01:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T19:01:43","slug":"trump-targeting-immigrants-from-countries-hit-most-by-climate-shocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1942","title":{"rendered":"Trump targeting immigrants from countries hit most by climate shocks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1ma2nzf\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"9f914828-b7d2-4984-9067-df8022ecd802\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a side-by-side image shows an ICE agent in tactical gear on the left and destroyed homes after a hurricane on the right\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/e568abb057651e11af43846809a978df3c5a45ff\/0_0_1500_1200\/master\/1500.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Left: An ICE agent outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May. Right: Destroyed homes after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, on 7 October 2016.<\/span> Composite: The Guardian, AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"9f914828-b7d2-4984-9067-df8022ecd802\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Left: An ICE agent outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May. Right: Destroyed homes after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, on 7 October 2016.<\/span> Composite: The Guardian, AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1jwoxwb\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump targeting immigrants from countries hit most by climate shocks<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>A Guardian analysis reveals how most of 39 countries facing US entry restrictions are most vulnerable environmentally<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/10\/climate-change-crisis-refugees\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">\u2018Every day it\u2019s more barriers\u2019: how the US is shutting out climate refugees<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-pzh79o\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s immigration crackdown is largely targeting people from the countries most vulnerable to displacement from climate-driven disasters, a Guardian analysis shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump administration<\/a> pushes policies to boost planet-heating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/fossil-fuels\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">fossil fuels<\/a>, millions of people are being forced to flee their homelands due to storms, floods and droughts worsened by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/climate-crisis\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">climate crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Of the 39 countries from which the Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/News\/visas-news\/suspension-of-visa-issuance-to-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">fully or partly restricted entry to the US<\/a>, 22 are ranked within the most vulnerable quarter of nations in the world to climate impacts, according to a Guardian analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/gain.nd.edu\/our-work\/country-index\/rankings\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">data<\/a> from the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative, which assesses how prone jurisdictions are to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>Nearly all of the most vulnerable countries are on a ban or visa pause,\u201d said Danielle Wood, an associate professor at Notre Dame. Immigrants from Chad and Niger, the two most climate-vulnerable countries in the world according to the index, are now fully barred from the US, as are people from Sudan, Somalia and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/sierraleone\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Sierra Leone<\/a>, also among the 10 countries most exposed to climate impacts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c596d767-1f05-47fd-a67c-0c746ce6684a\" class=\"element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-w422y2\" data-alt=\"A beeswarm chart showing countries facing US entry restrictions are among the most vulnerable to impacts from the climate crisis\" data-testid=\"interactive-element-A%20beeswarm%20chart%20showing%20countries%20facing%20US%20entry%20restrictions%20are%20among%20the%20most%20vulnerable%20to%20impacts%20from%20the%20climate%20crisis\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<p><a data-name=\"placeholder\" href=\"https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2026\/06\/archive-zip\/giv-32554OjffLGKNhrId\" class=\"dcr-1eupayo\">A beeswarm chart showing countries facing US entry restrictions are among the most vulnerable to impacts from the climate crisis<\/a><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Among the most vulnerable half of countries is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/honduras\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Honduras<\/a>, which has seen stronger rainstorms, droughts, floods and coastal erosion in recent years. When Hurricane Mitch crashed into the country, killing 7,000 people, one affected family surveyed the unsalvageable ruins of their home and realized they had a lifeline \u2013 to move to the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Evelyn, who did not want to share her full name, was a teenager when Mitch hit in 1998 and recalls how her relatives in New York City pleaded with her mother to bring her and her sister to the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere were bodies and dead animals floating in the water, the house was messed up, the furniture was all gone \u2013 doors, windows gone. It was so, so sad,\u201d said Evelyn. \u201cI got sick because of the mosquitoes too. My uncle and aunt were just like: \u2018OK, just bring the kids over here, don\u2019t stay. It\u2019s dangerous.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"7dcdc184-b9fb-4b5d-8b3b-ea13fd6d585a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman, whose face is turned for privacy reasons, stands for a portrait between trees\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7168ca20f605d1624e81c5b69cac5b605c135aaa\/0_0_4000_2668\/master\/4000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.815\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"7dcdc184-b9fb-4b5d-8b3b-ea13fd6d585a\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Evelyn, who was a teenager when Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras in 1998, recalled the devastation in her home town.<\/span> Photograph: Thalia Juarez\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Storms of the deadly ferocity of Mitch are <a href=\"https:\/\/yaleclimateconnections.org\/2026\/04\/global-warming-is-making-the-strongest-hurricanes-stronger\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">even more likely<\/a> today because our atmosphere and oceans have rapidly heated up due to the burning of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Yet Trump\u2019s curbing of immigration and asylum has made it far harder for people like Evelyn to flee to the US.\u201cEvery day it\u2019s more barriers,\u201d said Evelyn, who still lives in New York and has two daughters, both studying at university. \u201cIt\u2019s sad to know that people will not be able to apply for a status or something to help their situation and also help the people back home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5e01f658-27b3-40b5-85c3-56caa2373632\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-11 | 11\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ma29me\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/10\/climate-change-crisis-refugees\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">\u2018Every day it\u2019s more barriers\u2019: how the US is shutting out climate refugees<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The administration has also sought to terminate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/humanitarian\/temporary-protected-status\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">temporary protected status<\/a> (TPS) of people from Honduras and 12 othercountries who already reside in the US, with nearly half of these countries ranked by Notre Dame as among the most climate-vulnerable places in the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US supreme court is now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/29\/us-supreme-court-haitians-syrians-tps\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">considering an appeal to the TPS revocation<\/a> for people hailing from two of the affected countries: Syria and Haiti, which have suffered recent droughts and hurricanes, respectively, as well as violent unrest. Environmental perils in these and other countries have been cited by the federal government when granting TPS status to allow people to remain in the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But the current administration\u2019s sweeping bans on entry to the US will \u201ckeep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country\u201d and resolve deficiencies in vetting people, Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/06\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-restricts-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-united-states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-other-national-security-and-public-safety-threats\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a>. The state department was contacted for comment about climate-related immigration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Most of the banned countries are at the epicenter of an escalating climate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/us\/contact-us\/privacy-policy\/unhcr-verify-plus-privacy-notice\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">displacement<\/a> crisis, with the United Nations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/nov\/09\/climate-disasters-displaced-250-million-people-in-past-10-years-un-report-finds\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">estimating<\/a> severe heatwaves, droughts, storms and floods have uprooted 250 million people globally over the past decade, the equivalent of 70,000 displacementsevery day.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"bde4fe7b-8b80-41d8-9b28-845625cf895e\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A person walks among storm-caused debris\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/38db45924221dacd6e126ffd3d23c7b2c7804b8f\/0_0_2910_1940\/master\/2910.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"bde4fe7b-8b80-41d8-9b28-845625cf895e\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A resident of Comayaguela, Honduras, near Tegucigalpa, climbs debris left by flood waters from Hurricane Mitch, on 31 October 1998.<\/span> Photograph: Yuri Cort\u00e9z\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It\u2019s unknown how many of these people flee over borders, with most migration taking place internally \u2013 in 2025, nearly 30 million people were forced by disasters to move within their countries, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.internal-displacement.org\/global-report\/grid2026\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">recent figures show<\/a>. Wildfires, such as those that incinerated parts of Los Angeles last year, were the largest cause of such displacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But experts agree that there is a growing cohort of so-called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/oct\/22\/climate-disasters-migration-new-york\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">climate refugees<\/a>\u201d fleeing their home countries as the planet continues to dangerously overheat. There are currently no official pathways to do so, however, with neither US law nor the UN\u2019s 1951 refugee convention recognizing environmental disasters as a reason to gain protection in another country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>People are being displaced by climate change, the number is growing every year and, increasingly, the displacements are permanent,\u201d said Jocelyn Perry, program manager of the climate displacement program at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.refugeesinternational.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Refugees International<\/a>. Residents of developing countries now blacklisted by the US struggle to deal with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/ng-interactive\/2025\/dec\/18\/how-climate-breakdown-is-putting-the-worlds-food-in-peril-in-maps-and-charts\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">loss of crops<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2026\/mar\/04\/global-sea-levels-underestimated-poor-modelling-research\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sea level rise<\/a> and other upheavals worsened by global heating, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>A house in Florida may be able to withstand a category four hurricane, but there are people around the world unable to deal with that in any way and they are bearing the brunt of this,\u201d said Perry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Advocates say that people will typically be displaced by a climate-fueled disaster, which leads to a separate but related misfortune, such as violence, that spurs them to leave their country. War or persecution can, unlike climate change, be used as a reason to claim asylum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>Climate change is not necessarily the first issue that displaced people raise,\u201d said Perry. \u201cBut if, say, a family\u2019s crops fail for three years and they have to move to an urban area and they can\u2019t find work or it\u2019s dangerous there, climate change has played a key role in their movement \u2013 even if their asylum claim is because of the violence that follows.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"85d5e6e9-eee5-4b9a-9324-9b42949a1f40\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man carries another man on his back, as a woman holds an IV bag\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3cc96226945a3d0d85effe8067bfb9dad34d6e14\/0_0_4928_3280\/master\/4928.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.18506493506493\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"85d5e6e9-eee5-4b9a-9324-9b42949a1f40\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A man with cholera symptoms is carried to a clinic in Randelle, Haiti, on 19 October 2016, after Hurricane Matthew struck.<\/span> Photograph: H\u00e9ctor Retamal\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US is the world\u2019s largest emitter of planet-heating pollution in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/analysis-worlds-biggest-historic-polluter-the-us-is-pulling-out-of-un-climate-treaty\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">history<\/a>. However, Trump has dismissed any need to act on the climate crisis, which he calls a \u201choax\u201d and \u201cbullshit\u201d, and has <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2025\/09\/1165924\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">demanded<\/a> the world remain wedded to fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Meanwhile, the Trump administration has effectively shut down the US refugee program, other than to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/us-government-increase-white-south-africa-refugees\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">white South Africans<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jun\/10\/trump-fires-usaid-overseas-employees\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">dismantled<\/a> overseas aid that ameliorates the symptoms of a warming world, such as the spread of disease. Cuts to USAID engineered by Elon Musk, the world\u2019s richest person, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/article\/S0140-6736(25)01186-9\/fulltext\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">are forecast to result in the deaths<\/a> of about 4.5 million young children, in places such as sub-Saharan Africa, over the next five years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>All of these actions will increase displacement, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> will try to dissuade people from coming to the US border through cruel and inhumane policies, third-country deportation and child detention,\u201d said Perry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>I don\u2019t know if that will deter people if the other option is risking death or injury at home, though, so people will still make that journey,\u201d she added. \u201cWe are seeing political decisions in the US and in Europe, too, that will leave more people stuck in vulnerable places and unable to respond. With worsening climate change, this is going to be horrific for the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The one part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/usimmigration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">US immigration<\/a> apparatus that does factor in the climate crisis is TPS, by which foreign nationals already in the US are grantedrenewable one- or two-year stays if war or natural disaster hits their homeland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Syrians were granted TPS in 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2024\/01\/29\/2024-01764\/extension-and-redesignation-of-syria-for-temporary-protected-status\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">on the basis<\/a>, among other things, of falling wheat production and \u201cdrought-like conditions\u201d that have plagued the country in recent years. Ethiopia has been hit by severe drought and flooding, displacing more than 4 million people, the country\u2019s TPS status from the same year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2024\/04\/15\/2024-07643\/extension-and-redesignation-of-ethiopia-for-temporary-protected-status\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">concluded<\/a>, while about 350,000 Haitians in the US would risk returning to one of the countries \u201cmost affected by extreme weather events\u201d, according to a 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2023\/01\/26\/2023-01586\/extension-and-redesignation-of-haiti-for-temporary-protected-status\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">determination<\/a> granting a TPS extension.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"bdb7d8d0-3e76-4766-babb-005b0fd592d2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-5\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man examines his drought-stricken crops.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/04f00c9ce9a497ac4ee6e98c0e0062e1c4fac6b8\/0_0_5760_3840\/master\/5760.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-5\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"bdb7d8d0-3e76-4766-babb-005b0fd592d2\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A Syrian farmer shows how his field is affected by drought on 28 October 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Kasim Yusuf\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/13\/trump-administration-ends-tps-somalia\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">terminated<\/a> TPS status for a swathe of countries, however, with the courts set to decide on the status of several of these, including the supreme court case involving Syria and Haiti. \u201cThere are tens of thousands of people who have fled because of natural disasters,\u201d said Geoffrey Pipoly, a lawyer representing six plaintiffs from Haiti, which has been hit by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/results\/2017\/10\/20\/rapidly-assessing-the-impact-of-hurricane-matthew-in-haiti\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">two<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicefusa.org\/stories\/crisis-top-crisis-haiti-after-hurricane-melissa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">huge<\/a> hurricanes since 2016. \u201cHaiti has been smack dab in the middle of this for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Even those still protected by TPS face uncertainty.A doctor originally from Sudan, who did not want to be named, said he left for the US after drought accelerated conflict in his country, which has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2025\/nov\/19\/an-existential-battle-of-interests-what-the-sudanese-war-is-actually-about\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">locked in a civil war<\/a> for the past three years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>It\u2019s too dry, there\u2019s not enough water, the lands were just left without anyone to cultivate them and millions have fled,\u201d he said. \u201cThe conflicts are affected by climate change and the difficulty of people sharing resources in that part of the world. I did not see any hope in things improving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Sudan is still on the TPS list but only until October. \u201cIt would be very, very tough, very difficult to go back,\u201d said the doctor, who has still not heard whether an application made for a work permit has been successful. \u201cOne of the reasons people come to the US is because they think there is a law, everybody is treated equally. But I think this is no longer the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The supreme court ruling is expected by late June or early July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Efforts to update the US immigration system to include consideration of the climate crisis have so far floundered. The <a href=\"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/milestones\/1945-1952\/immigration-act\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">1952 Immigration and Nationality Act<\/a> (INA) defines a \u201crefugee\u201d as anyone who is unable to return to their home nation due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political viewpoint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It does not include protections for those displaced by environmental degradation \u2013 something researchers and advocates have long said is necessary. In 2021 and 2023, Democratic lawmakers aimed to codify such a change with the <a href=\"https:\/\/velazquez.house.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/rep-velazquez-senator-markey-reintroduce-bill-protect-migrants\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Climate Displaced Persons Act<\/a>, which would amend the INA to provide durable legal status and resettlement support to people forced to relocate to the US due to climate disasters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAs disasters supercharged by climate change cause disruption and devastation around the world, the Trump administration wants to both destroy programs meant to build more resilient countries and make it impossible for those without recourse to seek refuge in the United States,\u201d said the Massachusetts senator Ed Markey, who introduced the proposal both times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Such legislation is needed now more than ever, Markey said. \u201cTrump\u2019s attacks on foreign aid programs, his disregard of climate science and his attacks on immigrants all come from the same playbook,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"d6929b7f-6ac6-48b3-975f-3ef6c54414c7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-6\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Emaciated cattle graze\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b8e4e08f07d348658d57c3384a9b47312df35404\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-6\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d6929b7f-6ac6-48b3-975f-3ef6c54414c7\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Emaciated cattle graze on fresh grass after the late arrival of the first rains in Sudan\u2019s Nuba mountains on 18 June 2024.<\/span> Photograph: Guy Peterson\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The bill would also ensure that agencies collect data on climate-related displacement. That could remove a major roadblock to establishing and maintaining protections for those affected, said Hannah Flamm, deputy director of policy at the <a href=\"https:\/\/refugeerights.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">International Refugee Assistance Program<\/a> (IRAP).<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere\u2019s vast data globally on internal displacement on account of climate, but there\u2019s virtually no data on international displacement on account of climate,\u201d she said, adding that Markey\u2019s proposal is a \u201cvaliant effort\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhether or not it passes, it is critical to mobilize advocacy and to reinforce the need to meet this need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Given the current political environment, however, the prospect of a new climate migration framework appears dim. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there\u2019s a lot of optimism right now that any change could occur anytime in the near future,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Amid a broader push for mass deportations by the administration, \u201cclimate has been put on the back burner to safeguard the very concept of regular migration as a whole\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A future administration could try to implement a sort of climate visa to the US, but it\u2019s more likely that it would focus on limiting damage around the world that displaces people in the first place, according to Yael Schacher, director for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/americas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Americas<\/a> and Europe at Refugees International.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>If the tide was to turn, it might be more for adaptation funding to help people stay where they are, rather than a new visa,\u201d Schacher said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>\u201c<\/em>We have our own displacement in the US, too \u2013 we aren\u2019t immune from this. Right now the sympathy for immigrants, even people displaced by the worst persecution, is nil. It\u2019s hard to see any sort of expansive opening \u2013 up, even if that\u2019s what people need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Dharna Noor contributed additional reporting; Aliya Uteuova contributed data visuals<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1xavc9x\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/climate-crisis\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Climate crisis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/refugees\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Refugees<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/fossil-fuels\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Fossil fuels<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/hurricanes\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Hurricanes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20targeting%20immigrants%20from%20countries%20hit%20most%20by%20climate%20shocks&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/10\/trump-administration-immigrants-climate-crisis?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjun%2F10%2Ftrump-administration-immigrants-climate-crisis&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jun\/10\/trump-administration-immigrants-climate-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-babllm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Left: An ICE agent outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May. Right: Destroyed homes after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, on 7 October 2016. Composite: &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1942\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}