The US Department of Homeland Security will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans living legally in the United States, according to notices published on Monday.
The decision, part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, will take effect on 6 September.
TPS will end for approximately 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have benefited from the humanitarian protection since 1999. The policy allows nationals of countries affected by war, natural disasters or other crises to remain and work in the US without fear of deportation.
The Trump administration has previously moved to strip TPS from hundreds of thousands of migrants, including 348,000 Venezuelans, 521,000 Haitians, and thousands from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Officials argue the programme has been overused and that many beneficiaries no longer need protection.
In contrast, Democrats and immigration advocates have condemned the move, warning that TPS holders could be forced back to unstable or unsafe conditions. They also highlight the essential roles many of these individuals play in the US workforce.
TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua was originally granted following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which left at least 10,000 people dead across Central America.
While a previous attempt by Trump to revoke these protections during his first term (2017–2021) was blocked by federal courts, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has now justified the new termination by citing improvements in both countries. She pointed to rising tourism, increased real estate investment in Honduras, and growth in Nicaragua’s renewable energy sector.
“Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that – temporary,” Noem said in her statement.
In 2023, the Biden administration had renewed TPS for both countries, arguing that the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, compounded by political instability, economic challenges, and other natural disasters, still warranted ongoing protection.
Despite the DHS’s optimism, the US State Department currently advises Americans to reconsider travel to Honduras due to crime and to Nicaragua because of the risk of arbitrary detention and a limited healthcare system.
In recent years, Honduras declared a state of emergency suspending constitutional rights in some areas, while Nicaragua, under President Daniel Ortega, has come under UN scrutiny for alleged authoritarianism and expanded presidential powers through controversial reforms.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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