Trump administration moves to end TPS for Hondurans and Nicaraguans

Churchill Ndonwie, Miami Herald on Jul 7, 2025

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The Trump administration is terminating Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and Nicaraguans.

In a document posted in the Federal Register on Monday, the notice from the Department of Homeland Security said that, after reviewing conditions in those countries, Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua no longer support the designation for protection from deportation.

“It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago. Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return. Honduras has been a wonderful partner of the Trump Administration, helping us deliver on key promises to the American people. We look forward to continuing our work with them,” Secretary Noem said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security estimated that 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have been living in the United States since the 1990s will be affected, though at least some of them have since become permanent U.S. residents.

Temporary Protected Status grants deportation protections and work permits to people from countries experiencing natural disasters or political turmoil.

Honduras and Nicaragua were initially granted the status in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch caused massive floods and damage. The designation had continually been extended till 2019, when the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration announced it would terminate the designation. After a lawsuit, DHS decided not to enforce the action. The extension continued and was to expire on July 5, 2025.

The decision is set to be officially published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. The law requires that the new expiration date be 60 days after publishing, which would mean TPS for both nationalities will end in early September.

“The impacts of a natural disaster impacting Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exist. The environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.

The termination of the TPS designation for Honduras and Nicaragua follows the administration’s announcement in June that it was terminating TPS status for over half a million Haitians living in the United States. The department at the time said the conditions in Haiti had improved, but later said the TPS designation for Haiti did not align with the United States’ national interest. However, on July 1, a New York Judge ruled designation should be returned to the original date of February 2026.

Monday’s decision to terminate TPS for Nicaragua and Honduras continues Trump’s administration’s campaign promise of mass deportation and reforming the program.

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