DHS terminates TPS status for Hondurans and Nicaraguans. Over 60,000 immigrants at risk for deportation

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals, with a 60-day wind down period. Honduran and Nicaraguan TPS holders have been protected under the program for more than 25 years, since 1999. TPS protections are set to expire in 60 days after publication of the federal notices, leaving approximately 60,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans without work permits and protection from deportation. 

In May 2018, the Trump Administration terminated TPS for nationals of Honduras and Nicaragua, along with those from El Salvador, Nepal and Haiti. However, the terminations were challenged in the Ramos v. Nielsen and Bhattarai v. Nielsen lawsuits. In September 2023, TPS was extended for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan. However, only a few of these extensions were renewed at the end of the Biden Administration and remained in effect, such as TPS for El Salvador. 

“Today is a devastating day for our Honduran and Nicaraguan TPS community as the Trump Administration continues its attacks on immigrant communities,” Martha Arevalo, executive director of CARECEN-LA, said in a statement. “Honduran and Nicaraguan TPS holders—like many other immigrant communities—have contributed significantly to the U.S. economy through taxes, labor and have given the best years of their lives to this country. In return, they are met with cruelty, inhumane treatment and systemic injustice. 

“The Trump Administration recklessly pursues chaos and disorder in the persecution of immigrants across the country. In real-time we are witnessing in our own L.A. region where families are torn apart and U.S. citizens and immigrants alike are terrorized by federal agents.  We face the devastating reality that even more families are at risk,” she continued.

“The TPS community is resilient and will continue to organize. We will continue to pursue every possible avenue and stand firm in our fight for justice and the rights of immigrants in this country. We call on Congress and all governmental officials to exercise their oversight and legal powers. This lawlessness must stop now,” she finalized.