The Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for 11 countries on August 12, 2026. The action affects an estimated 1,044,700 TPS recipients, excluding those with lawful permanent resident status or U.S. citizenship.

The terminations cover Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Venezuelans account for the largest group of affected recipients, with 59% of those who have lost protection, numbering more than 615,000 immigrants across two separate designations in 2021 and 2023. Haitian TPS recipients make up about 32% of those who have lost protection during the second Trump term.

The Supreme Court allowed the administration to terminate TPS designations for Haiti and Syria in June 2026. Those terminations went into effect on July 27, 2026. The administration has moved to terminate TPS for Ethiopia and Somalia, affecting approximately 6,100 immigrants, but these terminations are currently suspended due to ongoing litigation.

The Trump administration stated it terminated TPS designations because the affected countries are now safe for immigrants to return to. Advocates criticized the administration’s actions, stating that dangerous conditions persist in many of these countries and arguing that the terminations are motivated by racial discrimination. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increased monitoring of some communities with large Haitian populations following the termination of Haiti's TPS designation. An additional source states that the Trump administration is incentivizing TPS recipients who may lose their protections to "self-deport" and is revoking employment authorization even as protected status remains active.

Why It Matters

Temporary Protected Status is a federal humanitarian program created in the Immigration Act of 1990, administered by the Department of Homeland Security. TPS first granted protections to immigrants from El Salvador in 1990 during the Salvadoran Civil War. El Salvador received a new TPS designation in 2001 due to deadly earthquakes. The scale of the August 2026 terminations represents a significant reduction in the number of designated countries and affected individuals.

The terminations affect over one million people, with Venezuelans and Haitians comprising the majority of those losing protection. The economic impact includes the loss of contributions from workers in key sectors such as construction and food service. The policy shift has drawn sharp division along partisan lines, with a majority of Democrats disapproving and a majority of Republicans approving of the ends to the designations.

Timeline

Temporary Protected Status is a federal humanitarian program created in the Immigration Act of 1990, administered by the Department of Homeland Security. TPS first granted protections to immigrants from El Salvador in 1990 during the Salvadoran Civil War. El Salvador received a new TPS designation in 2001 due to deadly earthquakes. On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted a virtual Tribal consultation on updating the race/ethnicity code list for the American Community Survey and the 2030 Census.

On March 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced an extension of the designation of El Salvador for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months. In a June 2025 survey, 59% of U.S. adults said they disapproved of the Trump administration ending TPS for at least 500,000 immigrants, while 39% approved. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 86% disapproved of ending TPS for many immigrants, while 68% of Republicans and Republican leaners approved. On June 7, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of the designation of Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates the Homeland Security Department published a notice titled Termination of the Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status on November 28, 2025. Haitian TPS recipients make up about 32% of those who have lost protection during the second Trump term. The federal government ended Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador on September 9, 2026.

A study titled Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Mexican Attitudes And Policies during the First 18 Months Of the Trump Administration was published in 2018 in LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas). The Trump administration is incentivizing TPS recipients who may lose their protections to "self-deport" and is revoking employment authorization even as protected status remains active. Legislation to amend the Immigration Act of 1990 relating to the membership of the United States Commission on Immigration Reform was sponsored by Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21], with the latest action being received in the Senate and read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary. The first Trump administration attempted to terminate El Salvador’s TPS designation in 2018. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increased monitoring of some communities with large Haitian populations following the termination of Haiti's TPS designation.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the status of Salvadoran TPS. Department of Homeland Security statistics state that Temporary Protected Status remains in effect for approximately 273,000 immigrants from four countries: El Salvador, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. A Federal Register notice announcing TPS termination for El Salvador states that the federal government ended Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador on September 9, 2026.

Sources differ on the scope of remaining TPS countries. Department of Homeland Security statistics state that Temporary Protected Status remains in effect for approximately 273,000 immigrants from four countries: El Salvador, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. Federalregister.gov states that Temporary Protected Status is temporary status for eligible nationals of designated countries who reside in the United States.

Sources differ on the timing of Haiti TPS termination notices. Federalregister.gov notes that the Homeland Security Department published a notice titled Termination of the Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status on November 28, 2025. Federal Register notices announcing TPS termination state that the Trump administration has terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for 11 countries: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Sources differ on the nature of the Trump administration's actions regarding protected status. An additional source states that the Trump administration is incentivizing TPS recipients who may lose their protections to "self-deport" and is revoking employment authorization even as protected status remains active. Federal Register notices announcing TPS termination state that the Trump administration has terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for 11 countries: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.