Withdrawal of Temporary Protected Status for Honduran and Nicaraguan Migrants Announced

The current administration announced plans to terminate the temporary legal protections for migrants from Honduras and Nicaragua, offering incentives such as a $1,000 “exit bonus” and a taxpayer-funded flight for those who choose to self-deport. Currently, about 72,000 Honduran and 4,000 Nicaraguan migrants reside in the U.S. under this status.

This protected status was originally granted in response to Hurricanes Mitch in 1998, which caused widespread devastation and claimed nearly 7,300 lives across the two nations. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that the program was always intended to be temporary, noting that both countries have made significant recovery efforts.

The decision to end the protections will take effect on September 3, with migrants able to self-deport using a government-funded plane ticket and $1,000 incentive via the CBP Home App, a tool that contrasts the Biden administration’s CBP One app that allowed nearly a million asylum seekers into the country.

Although Noem initially sought to revoke similar protections for Haitians and Venezuelans, federal courts blocked those efforts, temporarily preserving protections for approximately 850,000 individuals. The Supreme Court later allowed deportations of up to 350,000 Venezuelans to proceed, signaling further removals and the end of some protected statuses.