The Trump administration published two announcements this Monday in the Federal Register to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Honduras and Nicaragua.

The TPS designations for both countries are set to expire on July 5, 2025, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that The termination will take effect 60 days after the notices are published in the Federal Register.

The Trump administration argues that neither country faces unfavorable conditions that justify TPS.

“After reviewing conditions in-country and consulting with relevant U.S. government agencies, the Secretary Kristi Noem has determined that conditions in Honduras no longer warrant designating it for TPS,” says the document submitted to the Federal Register, but which will be officially published on July 8.

The argument about Nicaragua is exactly the same, according to the other document reviewed by this newspaper.

“Temporary Protected Status was designed to be precisely that: temporary,” Noem declared. “It is evident that the Government of Honduras has taken all necessary measures to overcome the effects of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago.”

This means that once temporary protection for an immigrant from Honduras and Nicaragua ends, they must leave the country, unless they have a pending immigration process that allows them to remain legally.

“Honduran citizens leaving the United States are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure and take advantage of a safe way to leave the country with a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 departure voucher to help them resettle in Honduras and preserve future legal immigration opportunities,” DHS said in a statement.

A DHS spokesperson indicated that TPS for Nicaragua “was not designed to last a quarter of a century,” which is why its termination was necessary.

"The impact of the natural disaster that hit Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exists. The environmental situation has improved enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home safely," the official said. “This decision restores the integrity of our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary.”

The Trump administration’s decision follows the cancellation of TPS for people from Venezuela and Haiti a few weeks ago. Although in the former, the US-backed opposition group to the government of Nicolás Maduro is in talks with the State Department to resume immigration protection, there are no signs that this could happen.

Thousands of people at risk

The organization Alianza Americas warned that the DHS decision “puts at risk tens of thousands of people who, for more than 25 years, have put down roots in the United States.”

“Revoking TPS at this historic moment not only breaks the moral and legal commitment to protection, but also puts at risk the health, safety, and stability of thousands of mixed-status families, in which one or more people are US citizens, affecting entire communities,” said Teodoro Aguiluz, executive director of CRECEN Houston, a community organization in Texas that is part of the Alliance.

TPS was designated for Honduras in 1999 following the impact of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Currently, there are almost 57,000 people protected under this program.

Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 people from Nicaragua have the same protection.

Million-dollar losses for the U.S.

At the end of June, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) had warned about the possibility that the Trump Administration would end TPS for people originally from Honduras.

“More than 94% of Hondurans work performing essential functions on the front lines of health care, construction, food services, and transportation,” the CHC highlighted on June 24 prior to a panel discussion in Congress on the program.

The CHC cited Information from the Legal Resources Center highlights that Hondurans with TPS contribute more than $1 billion in pre-tax wages or salary income annually.

“Their work is not only crucial to the economic stability of the United States, but also to the resilience and well-being of communities across the country,” the CHC stated.