The Trump administration said on Friday it will end temporary protections for immigrants in the United States from Honduras on Jan. 5, 2020, leaving potentially 57,000 people vulnerable to deportation.
It is the latest in a series of decisions by President Donald Trump to shut down temporary protected status (TPS) granted to immigrants after natural disasters or violent conflicts that would prevent them from safely returning to their home countries.
Trump has denounced a “caravan” of migrants, mostly from Central America, that has crossed Mexico seeking entry into the United States in San Diego. Many say they are fleeing violence and political unrest at home and hope to claim asylum in U.S. immigration courts.
Marlon Tabora, Honduras’ ambassador to the United States, said the conditions did not exist in the country to repatriate tens of thousands of people. “These families have lived in the United States for 20 years and re-integrating them into the country will not be easy if they decide to return,” he said.
Hondurans are the second largest nationality with TPS to lose their status, which was granted to the country – along with Nicaragua – in 1999 following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch.
The government said it had conducted a review and found “conditions in Honduras that resulted from the hurricane have notably improved.” The 18-month timeline to end the program would allow “individuals with TPS to arrange for their departure or to seek an alternative lawful immigration,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release.
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