In late October 1998, Hurricane Mitch tore through Central America on its way to Southern Florida and the Bahamas. It left destruction and thousands of people dead. In early 1999, the Clinton administration granted Temporary Protected Status to immigrants from two of those Central American countries. Over the last quarter-century, those protections have been extended several times.
Now, those deportation protections for Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals are in the crosshairs of Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security as the Trump administration continues to clamp down on the national immigration crisis.
‘Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that — temporary.’
The DHS is moving to revoke Temporary Protected Status for certain Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals living in the U.S., which was set to expire on July 5, according to unpublished Federal Register notices.
“After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. Government agencies, the Secretary determined that” both of the countries do not “meet the conditions for designation for TPS,” the notices read.
Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals residing in the U.S. will lose TPS 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, which has not yet occurred as of Monday morning.
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Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
The DHS explained that Honduras and Nicaragua were initially granted TPS in 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, which caused at least 10,000 fatalities in Central America.
In the case of Nicaragua, the federal government extended TPS “13 consecutive times (for periods of 12 or 18 months at a time) under the same statutory basis of environmental disaster.” The agency added that TPS was also “continuously extended” for Honduras.
Trump’s DHS cited the countries’ notable progress, such as hurricane recovery and growing tourism, as some of the reasons why they no longer meet the designation requirements.
The DHS’ order is expected to impact 72,000 Honduran nationals and 4,000 Nicaraguan nationals currently living in the U.S.
Noem told Fox News Digital, “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that — temporary.”
“It is clear that the government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago,” Noem said.
“Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return,” she continued. “Honduras has been a wonderful partner of the Trump administration, helping us deliver on key promises to the American people. We look forward to continuing our work with them.”
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Aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in October 1998 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Photo by YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images
A DHS source told Fox News Digital, “The impacts of a natural disaster impacting Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exist.”
“The environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary,” the source added.
In late June, Noem announced that the DHS would revoke TPS for 500,000 Haitian nationals. A rogue federal judge moved to block the administration’s actions despite the Supreme Court limiting the scope of district courts’ universal injunctions.
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