Temporary Protected Status
What is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of specifically designated countries confronting ongoing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary circumstances that make returning difficult or unsafe. TPS provides protection from deportation and a work permit to those foreign nationals who are present in the United States at the time the U.S. government makes the designation. The Department of Homeland Security secretary can make TPS designations for 6, 12, or 18 months at a time. At least two months prior to the expiration of a country’s TPS, the secretary must decide whether to extend or terminate a designation. The secretary makes these determinations based on the country’s current conditions, focusing on whether nationals may safely return. The U.S. government has given TPS to a total of 29 countries or territories since Congress created the status in 1990, with several countries maintaining TPS designations for decades.Which countries have TPS?
The following countries are designated for TPS, though due to a recent Supreme Court ruling, all are at risk of losing status. Ongoing lawsuits may impact the termination dates listed below:- Burma (January 24, 2026, termination date suspended by court order)
- El Salvador (Extended until September 9, 2026)
- Ethiopia (February 13, 2026, termination date suspended by court order)
- Lebanon (Valid through November 27, 2026)
- Somalia (March 17, 2026, termination date suspended by court order)
- South Sudan (January 5, 2026, termination data suspended by court order)
- Sudan (Extended until October 19, 2026)
- Ukraine (Extended until October 19, 2026)
- Yemen (May 4, 2026, termination date suspended by court order)
How many people have TPS?
The number of people with TPS has dramatically decreased since President Trump took office, with the administration moving to terminate 13 out of 17 designations. At the start of the Trump administration, approximately 1.3 million people had TPS. As of June 2026, that number falls just below 300,000. In total, at least 700,000 people lost their TPS status in 2025 alone, including nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.Can the president end TPS designations?
Yes, a recent Supreme Court ruling essentially gave the president unchecked power to end TPS designations. On June 25, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Mullin v. Doe, a case challenging the administration’s efforts to terminate TPS for Haiti and Syria. The court’s 6-3 ruling, made along party lines, clears the way for the administration to terminate the protections. The ruling overturns lower court decisions that blocked the administration from ending TPS for Haiti and Syria. When the administration initially made the terminations, federal courts in New York and Washington DC determined that it failed to follow the required legal process to do so. Under the correct procedures established by Congress, TPS should only be terminated if an interagency review determines that conditions in the country have improved. Instead, documents uncovered during the case revealed that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ignored her own department’s recommendations to extend TPS for Haiti — a country the State Department warns Americans not to travel to due to heightened risk of “crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care.” Despite the lower court rulings and exposed communications, the Supreme Court ruled that a provision of the TPS statute prevented courts from hearing any lawsuits challenging the DHS secretary’s failure to follow the required legal procedures. In addition, the majority opinion declared that President Trump’s repeated public denigration of Haiti and Haitians did not rise to the level of unconstitutional racial animus that would permit a court to set aside the TPS decision.What will the impact be of ending TPS?
Once this decision goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of people lawfully present in the country will lose their legal status. The decision will also permit the administration to return to federal court in other cases and overturn decisions ruling against the termination of TPS for countries such as Venezuela, Somalia, Ethiopia, and others. Also at risk are almost 200,000 Salvadorans who have had TPS for over 25 years and 50,000 Ukrainians who have had it since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. The ruling will likely have devastating effects on the economy. Healthcare groups have flagged that thousands of Haitian nurses, home health aides, and other healthcare workers are expected to lose their jobs. The administration has extended work authorization for Haitian TPS holders until July 24, but that is only a stopgap for what is likely to be a mass exodus of qualified, skilled employees. Unless Congress takes steps to provide permanent legal status to TPS holders, hundreds of thousands are now vulnerable to losing work authorization and facing deportation.
Syria Is Not Redesignated for TPS, Despite Ongoing Armed Conflict
After months of uncertainty, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that it will extend—but not redesignate—Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria. This life-saving humanitarian program protects foreign nationals from being deported back to a country that is facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other temporarily dangerous… Read More
The House Votes on TPS for Venezuela as ‘Humanitarian Disaster’ in the Country Escalates
UPDATE: On Thursday night, the House brought the bill back to a floor vote and passed TPS designation for Venezuela. Although this vote only required a simply majority, bipartisan support for the effort picked up between Tuesday and Thursday as the bill gained 4 votes in favor, including 2 from… Read More
The Government Outlines Its Plan to Extend TPS Benefits Under Court Order
In early October, a federal court ruled that the Trump administration had violated the law when it terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. After weeks of negotiation with the ACLU, which brought the lawsuit, the government has now come forward… Read More
Federal Court Blocks Trump’s Efforts to Terminate Temporary Protected Status for 250,000 Recipients
Just weeks ahead of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders beginning to lose their immigration status, a federal court in California blocked the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. At least for now, this unexpected lifeline will temporarily protect hundreds… Read More
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