Thousands of immigrants from Honduras and Nicaragua will lose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday.

According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the termination will be effective 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.

After consulting with interagency partners, Secretary Noem determined that conditions in Nicaragua and Honduras no longer meet the legal requirements for TPS.

“Temporary Protected Status was designed to be precisely that: temporary,” Noem stated in a DHS statement. “It is evident that the government of Honduras has taken all necessary steps to overcome the effects of Hurricane Mitch, which occurred almost 27 years ago. Honduran citizens can return home safely, and DHS is here to facilitate their voluntary return.”

The Secretary added that Honduras has been an exceptional partner to the Trump Administration, helping them deliver on key promises to the American people.

Commenting on Nicaragua, Noem said that the natural disaster that impacted the country is no longer there, and the environmental situation has also improved, allowing Nicaraguan citizens to return.

According to the DHS website, the Department of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the safe return of its citizens, or under certain circumstances when the country is unable to adequately manage the return of its citizens.

USCIS may grant TPS to eligible citizens of certain countries (or parts of countries) who are already in the United States, and eligible individuals without nationality who last resided in the designated country may also be granted TPS.

Leonceo Velásquez, president of the organization Hondureños Unidos en Los Angeles (HULA), shared that the impact of the termination of TPS on the Honduran immigrant community in LA will be devastating after a difficult economy in the wake of raids.

“Many put down roots here with their families because of the situation in Honduras… security is very difficult, and jobs are even worse,” said Velazquez.

For now, the Honduran emphasized that it is necessary to create unity among the Latino immigrant community to fight and demand immigration reform since TPS cannot be imposed any further.

“No one is thinking about returning to Honduras because they know it will fail,” said Velazquez.

The 64-year-old Honduran said that for many people like him who made their lives in the United States and now depend on Social Security benefits, they will not have the same opportunity upon returning to Nicaragua.

However, the president of HULA shared that the Honduran community that was protected under TPS should remain calm because they can still fight in the courts to see if there is a reconsideration.

Recently, the Trump administration has already attempted to end TPS for several countries, including Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan.

According to the report, federal courts have blocked the Trump administration's previous efforts to end the program. Last week, a federal court judge blocked its termination for Haitians, arguing that she lacked the authority to roll back protections early.

In March, a federal judge also blocked the rollback of TPS for Venezuelans, but the Supreme Court put that decision on hold in late May.