SILVER SPRING, Maryland – Today, the Trump administration published a notice stating that it will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras and Nicaragua. This decision will put more than 70,000 Honduran and Nicaraguan U.S. residents at risk of deportation come September.

"CLINIC is dismayed by what we consider to be two more unjust TPS terminations," said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC's executive director. "In the case of Nicaragua, rampant political and ideological persecution remains a major driving factor for people seeking refuge in the United States. Many continue to fear return to such repressive conditions. In Honduras, widespread gang violence and economic depression threaten many people. We are concerned for the thousands of clients across CLINIC's network who have established lives of safety here in the United States and who now fear deportation given a lack of other legal options."

"While of course TPS is meant to be a temporary solution, it has necessarily served as a stop-gap measure protecting immigrants from deportation in a system that has failed to provide better legal options and more efficient processes for people who are hard-working contributors to our economies and societies, who have deep family and social connections in this country they call home, and who continue to fear return to their countries of origin," said Elnora Bassey, policy attorney at CLINIC. "If TPS programs are going to be wound down, it must happen gradually and humanely. Many more legal pathways must be made available to protect the lives and wellbeing of those who rely on this status. We urge the administration to reconsider these decisions to rapidly terminate TPS and to create further pathways to safety for those relying on TPS – for Nicaraguans, Hondurans, and others."