Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow an end to legal protections for Syrian migrants

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end legal protections for migrants from Syria for now, in the latest emergency appeal to the nation's highest court.

The Department of Justice wants the court to lift a New York judge's ruling halting the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end temporary protected status for Syrians.

An appeals court left the ruling in place. The justices, though, have previously allowed immigration authorities to end legal protections for migrants from Venezuela while lawsuits continue to play out. The federal government argued that the Syria case is similar.

About 6,100 people from Syria have temporary legal status after fleeing armed conflict, according to court documents. Ending those protections could halt their authorization to work legally in the United States and expose them to possible deportation.