'But we have to be realistic': examining the origins of temporary protection in the USA and European Union.

This article examines the origins and development of temporary protection regimes in refugee policy in the USA and the European Union (EU), focusing on political debates from the 1980s and 1990s and their implications amid contemporary crises such as Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the USA applies only to individuals already present in the country during a crisis, while the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive addresses mass influxes of displaced persons crossing into member states. US refugee advocates generally supported TPS as a pragmatic expansion of protection, whereas many EU advocates expressed skepticism, fearing temporary protection might undermine the 1951 Refugee Convention by creating a precarious, liminal status without durable solutions. The article highlights ongoing tensions around the temporality, legal status, and rights associated with temporary protection, emphasizing its role as a politically contingent and evolving mechanism in refugee policy.