On Monday, July 7, 2025, the Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 76,000 individuals from Honduras and Nicaragua. This decision, citing improved conditions in both Central American nations, is slated to take effect in September, roughly 60 days after the official publication of the termination notice in the Federal Register. The move is part of a broader effort by the administration to limit legal protections for various categories of migrants.
Temporary Protected Status is a federal program established by a 1990 Act of Congress. It offers protection from deportation and grants work permits to foreign nationals already residing in the United States whose home countries are deemed unsafe for return due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Honduras and Nicaragua were first designated for TPS in 1999 following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch in late 1998. The Category 5 storm caused widespread destruction and claimed over 10,000 lives across Central America, with Honduras being particularly hard-hit, reporting an estimated 7,000 fatalities, and Nicaragua nearly 4,000. While the Trump administration had previously revoked these protections during its first term, the Biden administration later reinstated them.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that a review of conditions in both countries determined they had recovered sufficiently from the 1999 hurricane for TPS recipients to safely return. In a press release, Secretary Noem emphasized that “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) further noted Honduras’s “significant progress” since the hurricane, highlighting improved access to basic services like water (95.7%), sanitation (83.8%), and electricity (93.2%), and describing it as a “wonderful partner to the Trump administration.” For those affected, DHS has encouraged self-deportation through a Customs and Border Protection program, offering incentives such as a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future opportunities for legal immigration.
This termination for Hondurans and Nicaraguans, affecting an estimated 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans, is the latest in a series of similar actions by the Trump administration since its return to office. Protections for thousands of TPS holders from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, and Venezuela have also been targeted. These attempts have frequently encountered legal challenges. For instance, a federal judge in San Francisco paused the administration’s plan to revoke TPS for Venezuelans in March, though the Supreme Court subsequently halted that decision in May. Last week, a federal judge in New York blocked the administration’s effort to end TPS for Haitians, deeming it unlawful.
The decision has drawn strong criticism from various quarters. U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, condemned the revocation as “out of touch with the reality of conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua” and “another attack on our legal system.” She highlighted that many affected individuals have resided in the U.S. for decades, working, raising families, and contributing to the economy, asserting that TPS constitutes “legal immigration.”
Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us, described the decision as a “serious mistake” that will “upend the lives of tens of thousands of deeply rooted families.” He argued that returning individuals to countries still facing instability poses a clear danger and that the move does nothing to strengthen the immigration system. The Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) echoed these concerns, stating that the termination would “devastate thousands of families who have built their lives in Florida,” urging the administration to provide a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.
Critics also point to ongoing challenges in the home countries. Nicaraguan opposition figure Gabriel Putoy, exiled in Costa Rica, stated that there are no safe conditions for return, asserting that the “greater hurricane is political, that of Ortega.” He referenced the Daniel Ortega government’s severe human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, torture, and the forced exile of over 600,000 Nicaraguans since 2018. In Honduras, Lawrence Hintz of Amigos de Honduras cited persistent insecurity due to gangs, the imposition of a “war tax,” and the severe impact of droughts on agriculture, leading many farmers to become “climate change refugees.”
While the majority of affected individuals face an uncertain future, approximately 21,000 Hondurans and 1,100 Nicaraguans have already obtained green cards, granting them legal permanent residence and thus protecting them from forced departure. However, for the tens of thousands without such status, the termination of TPS marks a significant shift in their legal standing and future in the United States.
