Hondurans could lose Temporary Protected Status this week under Trump
As chronic violence and a deep political crisis roil their home country, Hondurans in the United States have something else to worry about — their fate.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security will decide whether they'll extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of about 57,000 Hondurans.
TPS is a federal program that for decades has allowed more than 435,000 immigrants from 10 countries to legally live and work in the United States.
In the late 90s, thousands from Central America sought refuge in the United States after a monster storm devastated the region. Though most arrived illegally, they became exempt from deportation after Congress established the TPS program in 1990 to protect foreign nationals from being deported to their homelands amid instability and perilous conditions caused by armed conflict or natural disaster.
Since then, about 320,000 immigrants from several countries have had their TPS renewed at regular intervals. But that changed under the Trump administration.
Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced it will end special protections for an estimated 9,000 Nepalese immigrants. Officials gave them until June 24, 2019, to leave or find another way to stay in the country.
In November, TPS came to an end for 60,000 Haitians who arrived after Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake. They were given an 18-month period to leave. That same month, the Trump administration announced it would not extend TPS for Nicaraguans, saying the country has since recovered from Hurricane Mitch, giving them 14 months to exit.
According to the Center for Migration Studies of New York, about 7,800 Honduran TPS holders live in Florida; about 8,500 live in Texas.
If on Friday officials decide to end TPS for Hondurans, TPS holders would need to change their status or leave the country by July 5. If ignored, arrest and deportation is a risk, reports The Refugee Center. If a decision is not made by Friday, immigration protections are automatically extended for six months.
In the last few months, deadly protests have erupted in Honduras after the reelection of the country’s president, Juan Orlando Hernández. According to The Los Angeles Times, hundreds of caravan migrants have been waiting at the Tijuana-San Diego border after traveling for almost a month by foot, bus and train. The majority are Hondurans seeking asylum from gang violence and extortion back home.
After departing the southern border city of Tapachula on March 25 and journeying through Mexico, American authorities denied passage to the bedraggled and exhausted migrants who had trekked 2,000 miles. They said the processing center was at full capacity, reported Reuters.
On Sunday, an organizer with the caravan told CNN that the migrants are vowing to remain outside the immigration processing center until "every last one" is admitted into the country.
They are still camping out.
This story was originally published April 30, 2018 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Hondurans could lose Temporary Protected Status this week under Trump."