By Ted Hesson

U.S. President Donald Trump walks after disembarking Marine One as he arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will terminate deportation protections for thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the U.S., according to U.S. government notices posted on Monday, part of a broad effort by President Donald Trump to strip legal status from migrants.

The terminations, effective September 6, would end Temporary Protected Status for an estimated 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have had access to the legal status since 1999, according to a pair of notices posted online on Monday.

Trump, a Republican, has sought to end temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the U.S., including some who have lived and worked there legally for decades. The Trump administration argues that deportation protections were overused in the past and that many immigrants no longer merit protections.

Democrats and advocates say that the migrants could be forced to return to dangerous conditions and that U.S. employers depend on their labor.

TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to people already in the U.S. if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event.

During his 2017-2021 presidency, Trump sought to end most TPS enrollment, including the designations covering Honduras and Nicaragua, but was blocked by federal courts.

The TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua were based on destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch, which tore through Central America in 1998 and killed at least 10,000 people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in the termination notices that the countries had made significant recoveries, citing tourism in both countries, real estate investment in Honduras, and the renewable energy sector in Nicaragua.

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