Congress created Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 1990 to provide safe haven to noncitizens in the United States, regardless of immigration status, who are nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary circumstances that prevent their safe return.1 A foreign national from a designated country who is granted TPS receives a registration document and employment authorization for the duration of the TPS designation.2
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the discretion to designate a country for TPS for periods of 6, 12, or 18 months and can extend these periods if the country continues to meet the conditions for designation. If the Secretary determines that the country no longer meets the conditions for designation, the Secretary must terminate the designation.
When President Trump took office in January 2025, there were 17 countries with TPS designations: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. As of the cover date of this report, the Trump Administration has terminated TPS for 13 of these countries. For each of the terminated countries, Table 1 provides the termination date as announced in the Federal Register and the number of beneficiaries. TPS designations for El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Lebanon remain in effect as of the cover date of this report.3
Table 1. TPS Terminations Under the Second Trump Administration
(termination dates and number of beneficiaries)
|
Country |
Termination Date Announced in Federal Registera |
Beneficiariesa |
|
Afghanistan |
July 14, 2025 |
11,740 |
|
Burma |
January 26, 2026 |
3,970 |
|
Cameroon |
August 4, 2025 |
5,460 |
|
Ethiopia |
February 13, 2026 |
5,010 |
|
Haiti |
September 2, 2025 |
353,160 |
|
Honduras |
September 8, 2025 |
70,070 |
|
Nepal |
August 5, 2025 |
12,160 |
|
Nicaragua |
September 8, 2025 |
3,850 |
|
Somalia |
March 17, 2026 |
1,080 |
|
South Sudan |
January 5, 2026 |
230 |
|
Syria |
November 21, 2025 |
6,100 |
|
Venezuelac |
April 7, 2025 (2023) November 7, 2025 (2021) |
627,750 |
|
Yemen |
May 4, 2026 |
2,810 |
Source: Dates are from Federal Register notices; number of beneficiaries are from data provided to CRS by DHS.
a. Several terminations were the subject of litigation, which delayed their effective dates.
b. These counts are as of June 25, 2026, and are reflective of the individuals who were covered by TPS when the designation was terminated. These numbers include some individuals who obtained lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.
c. Venezuela was designated for TPS in 2021 and again in 2023; these were separate but concurrent designations. The number of beneficiaries listed in the table is the total for both designations.
| 1. |
Safe haven is a general term, not defined in federal statute or regulation, that refers to the practice of allowing certain classes of aliens to remain in the United States instead of returning to countries experiencing dangerous conditions. Safe haven benefits individuals who entered the country without permission as well as those who had permission to enter and remain temporarily. It is a form of blanket relief (i.e., relief from removal that is administered to a group of individuals based on their ties to a foreign country); this stands in contrast to asylum, which is a form of relief administered on a case-by-case basis to individuals based on their personal circumstances. |
| 2. |
For more information, see CRS Report RS20844, Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure. |
| 3. |
The designation for El Salvador was set to expire on September 9, 2026. As of the cover date of this report, no Federal Register notice had been published announcing the Secretary's determination to terminate or extend the designation. An alert posted on DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website on September 9 stated, "An announcement on El Salvador's TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection including work authorization." The designations for Sudan and Ukraine are set to expire on October 19, 2026, and the designation for Lebanon is set to expire on November 27, 2026. |