25 years after a Central American hurricane, Noem's DHS to end associated immigration Temporary Protected Status



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for certain Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals living in the U.S., which was set to expire on July 5, according to unpublished Federal Register notices.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.

Lawfare strikes again: Rogue judge ignores SCOTUS, shields 500,000 from Trump's immigration crackdown



Another district judge sought to block the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts by preventing the Department of Homeland Security from stripping Temporary Protected Status from over 500,000 immigrants, despite the administration's recent Supreme Court victory.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Friday that the agency would end TPS for Haiti on September 2, requiring more than half a million Haitian nationals in the U.S. to return to their home country. TPS was initially provided to Haitian nationals in 2010, and the federal government executed numerous redesignations extending the program through the Biden administration.

'Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts.'

Noem's DHS argued that "Haiti no longer continues to meet the conditions for designation for TPS," claiming that the Haitian government's lack of control has resulted in "direct consequences for U.S. public safety."

"Haitian gang members have already been identified among those who have entered the United States and, in some cases, have been apprehended by law enforcement for committing serious and violent crimes," the DHS stated.

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  Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Ira Mehlman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform told Blaze News, “TPS is designed to protect people from extraordinary and temporary conditions preventing the return of a country's nationals, provided that those foreign nationals remaining in the United States is not contrary to our national interest. Unfortunately, political instability in Haiti is neither extraordinary nor temporary. Moreover, Secretary Noem has made the determination that Haitian nationals remaining in the country is not in the national interest of the United States.”

The agency encouraged Haitian nationals to use the CBP Home app to return to their country of origin. The Trump administration has offered to provide immigrants a $1,000 exit bonus and to cover the cost of their return tickets.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn attempted to block the Trump administration's termination of TPS for Haitian nationals. He claimed that Noem "cannot reconsider Haiti's TPS designation in a way that takes effect before February 3, 2026, the expiration of the most recent previous extension."

"Plaintiffs are likely to (and, indeed, do) succeed on the merits. Secretary Noem's partial vacatur was in excess of her authority and was thus unlawful," Cogan wrote.

In response to Cogan's ruling, police analyst and Townhall columnist Phil Holloway noted that the "lawfare continues" against the Trump administration, which has faced numerous roadblocks from district judges.

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  Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Cogan's ruling followed President Donald Trump's Supreme Court victory last week, in which justices limited the scope of district courts' universal injunctions on executive action.

The Supreme Court wrote, "Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts."

Additionally, the high court in May granted the administration's emergency appeal to terminate the TPS designation for Venezuelan nationals.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to the ruling, stating, "Today's SCOTUS decision is [a] win for the American people and the safety of our communities."

"The Trump administration is reinstituting integrity into our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe," she added.

The Supreme Court also cleared a path for the administration to revoke deportation protections for foreign nationals enrolled in the CHNV program, which, under former President Joe Biden's leadership, allowed 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the U.S.

Mehlman told Blaze News, "SCOTUS has ruled the administration may proceed with revocation of TPS for Venezuelans, another country where there is political instability. And, just last week, SCOTUS ruled that universal injunctions from district court judges likely exceed their authority.”

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Noem ends deportation protections for 500,000 immigrants from one controversial island



Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protective Status for approximately 500,000 foreign nationals as part of the Trump administration's effort to clamp down on the immigration crisis.

Under former President Joe Biden, the federal government vastly expanded so-called lawful pathways to entry, enabling millions of immigrants to come to the United States. One of those pathways included the expansion of Temporary Protected Status, which was created to shield foreign nationals from deportations based on temporarily unstable conditions in their home countries.

'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary.'

President Donald Trump vowed to roll back the former administration's overuse of the program, but faced legal challenges for attempting to end these deportation shields. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a monumental win in May, allowing the DHS to revoke the TPS program.

RELATED: Biden extends temporary protection status for 800,000 migrants from Venezuela and El Salvador ahead of Trump crackdown

  Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

On Friday, Noem announced the termination of TPS for Haiti, which is now slated to end for approximately 500,000 Haitian nationals currently in the United State on Sept. 2.

Haiti was initially designated for TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake hit the island, and the federal government issued numerous redesignations extending it throughout the Biden administration.

Under the leadership of former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS argued that it extended protected status due to Haiti's "simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises" -- ongoing and intractable problems.

"Haitian gangs are the primary source of violence and instability in Haiti and pose an increasing threat as they continue to escalate and expand their influence and geographic presence over large portions of metropolitan Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, as well as to several of Haiti's ten departments (regional administrative divisions)," the DHS stated.

Noem's DHS contended that "Haiti no longer continues to meet the conditions for designation for TPS."

"For several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Haitians arriving in the United States irregularly, particularly via land," the DHS statement reads. "This pattern of large-scale irregular migration as a result of 'pull factors' has continued for years."

RELATED: Trump admin revokes protected status extension for Venezuelan nationals

  Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The DHS acknowledged that gang activity in Haiti remains an ongoing issue. However, it argued that Haiti's "lack of government control" has had "direct consequences for U.S. public safety."

"Haitian gang members have already been identified among those who have entered the United States and, in some cases, have been apprehended by law enforcement for committing serious and violent crimes," the statement reads.

"This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary," a representative for DHS said in a press release.

"The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home," the representative continued. "We encourage these individuals to take advantage of the department's resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the [Customs and Border Protection] Home app. Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible."

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Federal court rejects Trump admin revocation of legal status granted to hundreds of thousands of migrants



The legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua will be continued after a federal appeals court ruled against the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump revoked the Temporary Protected Status for the migrants as a part of his effort for mass deportations from the U.S. The administration had appealed a judge's order to halt the revocation of legal status, but the request was rejected on Monday.

'We need to follow the rule of law and not some advice from an activist judge who makes a foolish ruling.'

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had terminated a TPS extension for 600,000 Venezuelans in January that had been issued under the former Biden administration.

In April, San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Edward Chen blocked the termination of TPS and suggested that the action was motivated by racism.

"The secretary made sweeping negative generalizations about Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries," said Chen of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem. "Acting on the basis of a negative group stereotype and generalizing such stereotype to the entire group is the classic example of racism."

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Boston, Massachusetts, denied Trump's appeal of a separate and similar order from the U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

"The early termination, without any case-by-case justification, of legal status for noncitizens who have complied with DHS programs and entered the country lawfully undermines the rule of law," said Talwani in her ruling.

Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, vehemently criticized the ruling that opposed Trump's order.

"TPS isn't meant to be decades long," Homan said previously. "TPS needs to be temporary in nature. We need to follow the rule of law and not some advice from an activist judge who makes a foolish ruling."

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Judge blocks Trump admin from ending protected status for Venezuelans: 'Smacks of racism'



United States District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco on Monday blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals living in the U.S.

Under the Biden administration, TPS eligibility was drastically expanded to foreign nationals from several countries, including Afghanistan, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and Ukraine.

'We need to follow the rule of law and not some advice from an activist judge who makes a foolish ruling.'

Through two separate designations in 2021 and 2023, the Biden administration granted TPS to roughly 600,000 Venezuelan nationals in the U.S., allowing them to apply for work authorizations and avoid deportation. Those designations were set to expire on April 7 and September 10, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

On his way out of office, Biden extended TPS expiration dates for nearly 1 million foreign nationals, including Venezuelans.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to undo those last-minute extensions, reversing protections for the 350,000 Venezuelans whose status is scheduled to expire in April. She also announced a reversal for another 250,000 Venezuelans whose TPS will end in September.

The move sparked a legal challenge brought by the National TPS Alliance. On Monday, Chen blocked Trump's DHS from stripping the protections, claiming it "smacks of racism."

The Barack Obama-appointed judge wrote, "The Secretary made sweeping negative generalizations about Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries."

"Acting on the basis of a negative group stereotype and generalizing such stereotype to the entire group is the classic example of racism," Chen stated.

"The Secretary's rationale is entirely lacking in evidentiary support," Chen claimed. "There is no evidence that Venezuelan TPS holders are members of the [Tren de Aragua] gang, have connections to the gang, and/or commit crimes. Venezuelan TPS holders have lower rates of criminality than the general population. Generalization of criminality to the Venezuelan TPS population as a whole is baseless and smacks of racism predicated on generalized false stereotypes."

Chen argued that the removal of TPS would "inflict irreparable harm" to the Venezuelan nationals, the U.S. economy, and community stability. He has postponed the Trump administration's attempt to revoke TPS until he rules on the merits of the case.

Border czar Tom Homan responded to Chen's ruling.

"It's another activist judge making a stupid ruling," he told Fox News.

Homan emphasized that TPS was intended to be used for a limited period of time to protect foreign nationals from conditions in their home countries, including armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary temporary conditions.

"TPS isn't meant to be decades long," Homan continued. "TPS needs to be temporary in nature. We need to follow the rule of law and not some advice from an activist judge who makes a foolish ruling."

Homan contended that Chen's decision was based on his "opinion" and not the rule of law. He noted that the administration will appeal the ruling.

Chen is the latest district judge to attempt to block Trump's agenda. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued an emergency pause on the administration's deportation flights.

The DHS did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News.

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