Trump Administration Ending Temporary Protection Status for Hondurans

By Austin Westfall
Published: Saturday, May 5, 2018 - 5:05am
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The Trump administration says it’s ending special immigration protections for over 50,000 Hondurans in the United States. 

The protections have been in place since a 1999 hurricane left over 1.5 million Hondurans homeless.

Tony Banegas is the former Honorary Consul of Honduras in Arizona. He said he helped over 1,000 people fill out their temporary protection status, or TPS forms, in 1999, and that the loss of TPS will make things particularly complex for families with children born in the U.S.

 “How can I, you know, go back to Honduras and leave my child here in the U.S.? You know, that creates a tough decision for the families," he said.

Banegas says he was not surprised about the administration’s announcement. The White House has terminated similar programs for Sudan, Nicaragua, Nepal, Haiti, and El Salvador under President Trump.

The Department of Homeland Security said Hondurans will have until January 5, 2020.