What Happened?

Over a million people have lost their legal immigration status in the U.S. in recent years. A federal humanitarian protection program that once covered about 1.4 million people from 17 countries has shrunk to roughly 274,000 people after President Trump ended protections for 13 of those countries. Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program Congress created in 1990 that shields people already in the U.S. from deportation when their home countries face war, disaster, or other dangerous conditions, could cover no one at all by the end of 2026 if the four remaining country designations expire without renewal. That would be the first time in the program's 36-year history that it reached zero.

A Congressional Research Service report published Sept. 28 traced the contraction to an executive order issued Jan. 29, 2025, directing that TPS designations be limited in scope and last only as long as necessary. About 89 percent of TPS recipients are nationals of Latin America or the Caribbean.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients are eligible for employment authorization and are not subject to removal while they keep the status. The Congressional Research Service report observes that ending a designation could leave beneficiaries without employment authorization and subject to removal, and facing difficult or dangerous return conditions if they do not qualify for another immigration status.

Because registration requires names, addresses and biometric information, the government holds data that could support enforcement after protections end, according to the Congressional Research Service report. Many TPS holders have lived and worked in the U.S. for years, with U.S.-born children, mortgages, and jobs in industries such as construction, hospitality, and health care.

Both Sides, Now

The administration's position, reflected in the January 2025 executive order, is that TPS designations should be narrow and time-limited. Research is mixed on whether extending TPS encourages unauthorized migration: some studies found no such effect, while a Dallas Federal Reserve study published in May suggested a possible effect for two nationalities.

On the other side, the CRS report notes that ending a designation can leave people without work authorization and subject to removal to countries still experiencing conflict or dangerous conditions. The House passed a bill to protect Haitians until April 2029, and it awaits Senate action after a unanimous consent objection on July 22.

Congress holds the power to create permanent pathways or set time limits on TPS, and the CRS report says lawmakers may consider both options. The homeland security secretary, working with the State Department, also retains authority to extend or terminate each country designation independently of Congress.

What Happens Next?

As of the report's cover date, decisions were due in coming months on the four remaining designations, with El Salvador's set to expire Sept. 9, Sudan's and Ukraine's each set to expire Oct. 19, and Lebanon's set to expire Nov. 27. On Sept. 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted that Salvadorans retain protection, including work authorization, until a further announcement is made.

Under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the homeland security secretary, consulting the State Department, may designate a country for six to 18 months and extend a designation for six, 12 or 18 months. The Senate can also act on the House-passed Haiti bill, though no vote is currently scheduled. With Sudan and Ukraine expiring later this month and Lebanon's deadline arriving in November, the coming weeks will determine whether the program's remaining population shrinks further or holds steady.

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