Missouri Immigrants Face Status Losses by 2028

Policy advocates project thousands of Missouri immigrants will lose legal status as federal temporary protections are revoked.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Immigration

Missouri Immigrants Face Status Losses by 2028

Live Poll

Should Missouri's economy be prioritized over stricter immigration status revocations?

Policy advocates project 22,000 Missouri immigrants will lose legal status by the end of 2028, following Trump administration revocations of temporary protections. Immigrants from Sudan and Ukraine, asylum seekers, special-visa holders and DACA recipients are among those affected.

Why it matters

Immigrants who lose legal status also lose legal work authorization, which would remove them from the state's workforce across multiple industries. Advocates warn the contraction could carry costs for local economies that already face labor shortages.

A FWD.us report projects 13,000 Missouri immigrants will lose legal status by the end of 2026 and 22,000 by the end of 2028, with 3,000 manufacturing workers among those affected while manufacturers already operate at 73% of capacity. The report's methodology and the share of affected immigrants expected to be deported or leave the country remain unclear.

The players

FWD.us

A immigration policy advocacy organization that published the Missouri projections.

International Institute of St. Louis

A St. Louis refugee resettlement agency that has resettled over 1,000 Afghan refugees to the city.

The details

Revocations of temporary protected status affect immigrants from Sudan and Ukraine, along with asylum seekers, special-visa holders and DACA recipients. Losing status removes work authorization in manufacturing, hospitality, retail, construction, healthcare and education.

End of 2026: a projected 13,000 Missouri immigrants lose legal status.
End of 2028: a projected 22,000 Missouri immigrants lose legal status.

Political Context

The projections follow the Trump administration's revocation of temporary protected status for immigrants from Sudan and Ukraine. Advocates frame the losses as a workforce problem for Missouri manufacturers already running at 73% of capacity.

Immigrants who lose legal status lose the right to work, which can affect employers in manufacturing, healthcare, and construction who rely on them. Missouri residents may see labor shortages in these sectors as workers leave the legal workforce.

The takeaway

Losing legal work authorization can disrupt the employers and industries that depend on immigrant labor, so tracking how many affected workers actually leave Missouri will show the real economic impact.