Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the termination of temporary protected status for Honduras.
The date of the transition has been delayed for 18 months and will become effective on Jan. 5, 2020, to allow for an orderly transition.
The decision to terminate TPS for Honduras was made after a review of the environmental disaster-related conditions upon which the country’s original 1999 TPS designation was based and an assessment of whether those originating conditions continue to exist, as required by statute. Based on careful consideration of available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process, the secretary determined that the disruption of living conditions in Honduras from Hurricane Mitch that served as the basis for its TPS designation has decreased to a degree that it should no longer be regarded as substantial.
The 18-month delayed effective date will also provide time for Honduras to prepare for the return and reintegration of its citizens. During this timeframe, DHS will work with the Department of State and the government of Honduras to help educate relevant stakeholders and facilitate an orderly transition. In addition to materials posted online, DHS components will participate in outreach activities such as teleconferences, town halls, and roundtables to ensure that affected populations have a full and accurate understanding of their rights and obligations.
Honduran citizens with current TPS registrations will be required to re-register for TPS and apply for Employment Authorization Documents in order to legally work in the United States until the termination of Honduras’ TPS designation becomes effective. Further details about this termination for TPS, including the re-registration period, will appear in a Federal Register notice. Honduran TPS beneficiaries should not submit re-registration applications until the re-registration period is announced through the Federal Register notice.
