Washington (AP) – The Trump Administration terminates the temporary status for nearly 80,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans, who have allowed them to live and work in the United States for a quarter of a century after a devastating hurricane, which has struck the Federal Government, which is coming as the White House can be more.
Notifications are part of the wider efforts of the current administration to take advantage of the campaign promises to make mass deportations of immigrants. This is done by continuing after illegally people in the country or those who have committed crimes that make them eligible for deportation, but also by eliminating the protection of hundreds of thousands of people, many recognized under the Biden administration.
Temporary protective status is a temporary protection that can be provided by the secretary of the internal security of people of different nationalities who are in the United States, which prevents them from being deported and allows them to work. The Trump administration aggressively strives to eliminate protection, thus making more people eligible to remove.
The administration says the conditions have changed
The Ministry of Interior Security said on Monday in the Federal Register – in a notice that will officially take place on Tuesday – that secretary Christie Nov has reviewed the country’s terms in Honduras and Nicaragua. She concluded that the situations there had improved enough after the initial decision in 1999, that the people who currently defended these temporary designations could return home.
The department estimated that approximately 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans in the United States are covered by the status that will now expire in about two months. However, TPS Alliance, which is advocated for immigrants covered by these temporary defenses, estimates that about 40,000 Hondurans will be affected as many have received legal residence through various immigration channels.
The alliance said he filed a case on Monday against Noem and DHS in the northern district of California. It is alleged that the decision of the Trump administration is illegal.
The temporary protective status for both nationalities expired on July 5. Communications report that the defense will be terminated 60 days after the notifications have been officially published in the Federal Register.
TPS is usually provided when the conditions in one’s homeland make it difficult to return. The people covered by him must register with the Ministry of Interior Security. And then they are protected from deportation and can work.
However, this does not give them a way to citizenship and the secretary must renew it regularly, often at intervals of 18 months.
When their status officially ends, Hondurans and Nicaraguans, which are currently covered by temporary protective status, can be deported and their work permissions will be terminated if they fail to find another path to remain in the country.
Critics say the “temporary” has become permanent
Critics say the consistent administrations-especially the administration of Biden-in essence tires concluded these renewal, independently, and the people covered by what must be a temporary status, ultimately remain in the United States for years.
The Trump administration has already terminated TP for about 350,000 Venezuelans, 500,000 Haitians, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan, Nepal and Cameroon. Some of them, like Venezuela, Haitians and Ukrainians, have pending court cases in the federal courts.
Another 250,000 Venezuelans have still been protected under TPS until September, as well as thousands of Syrians. TPS for Ethiopians expires in December for Yemens and Somalians in March 2026 and for the Salvadorians in September 2026.
During the Biden administration, the number of people protected by TPS increased significantly. Nearly 1 million Venezuela and Haitians were protected.
Jose Palma, co-director at TPS National Alliance, said the termination, announced on Monday, would affect people living in the United States for nearly three decades.
“They have created families. Investments. This is a community that …. has undergone annual background checks that showed … all its contributions to this country,” Palma said. “It’s cruel what’s going on.”
Laws of Little Disputes Delayed Defense Termination
Temporary defenses for both sides were originally provided in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Trump’s first administration tried to terminate the defenses, but both remained in force after lawsuits.
Homeland security wrote in the Federal Register, the news that Honduras witnessed significant changes in the 26th years after the destruction of hurricane Mitch. “
“Honduras has made significant progress by recovering from the destruction of the hurricane and is now a popular destination for investment in tourism and real estate,” the department wrote. They said the Honduran government has launched a plan called a “brother, come home” in January, which aims to help Hondurans deported from the US with money and help find a job.
From Nicaragua, November writes: “Nicaragua has made significant progress, recovering from the destruction of the hurricane with the help of the international community and is now increasing tourism, ecotourism, agriculture and leader of renewable energy.”
Honduras Foreign Minister Antonio Garcia expressed disappointment with Monday’s message.
“They claim that Honduras has foreign investment, tourism and her Honduran program are home and that there are conditions to return,” Garcia said. But he said that it was the anti -immigrant sentiment of Trump administration behind him.
“They came to power with it and do it for their electorate,” he said.
Francis Garcia has lived in the United States for almost 30 years and has been the beneficiary of TPS for 25. Her three elderly children were born in the United States, a country that considers her own.
“I feel sad, worried and scared,” said the 48 -year -old Garcia, who never returned to her country. “I’m very afraid to go back to Honduras. I can’t imagine it; I wouldn’t want it.”
Like Garcia, Theophilo Martinez, 57 -year -old, lived half of his life in the United States, most of him under TPS protection. He arrived with nothing, but now he has his own construction company and he is also brokers.
“We ask that our good behavior and contribution be taken into account,” Martinez said. “There are no conditions in Honduras to go back.”
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Salomon reported from Miami. Marlon Gonzalez in Teguchigalpa, Honduras, who participates in this report.