Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Expiring: DHS Says Immigrants from Ukraine and Sudan May Remain
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed CBS News on the 18th that legal immigrants from Ukraine and Sudan holding “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) may continue to reside and work in the United States without fear of deportation, even though their current protections are nearing expiration.
The TPS designations for tens of thousands of Ukrainian immigrants and over a thousand Sudanese immigrants were originally scheduled to terminate on the 19th. However, in a statement released on the 18th, the DHS indicated that a final decision regarding the future of these “humanitarian immigration programs” would be made “in due course.”
The DHS noted that until a final decision is announced, Ukrainian and Sudanese citizens currently enrolled in the TPS program will “continue to be protected.”
While these decisions are not yet final, the maintenance of such protections against deportation stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s consistent stance on the TPS program.
Officials within the Trump administration have frequently criticized TPS, labeling it a policy that—in the hands of the Biden administration—amounts to a “de facto amnesty.” They argue that although the policy is intended to be temporary, it has been extended too frequently, thereby encouraging illegal immigration.
Over the past year and a half, as part of its aggressive crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has revoked TPS designations for more than 1 million immigrants from over a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Venezuela.
The TPS programs for citizens of Ukraine and Sudan are among the few immigration protections that have remained in place during President Trump’s second term. Also remaining in effect are protections for tens of thousands of immigrants from El Salvador; their TPS program was originally set to expire last month, but the DHS has maintained their protected status pending a final announcement.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1990, TPS provides temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to immigrants from designated countries, regardless of their underlying legal status. These countries are typically facing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other crises, which make it unsafe for individuals from those nations to return to their home countries.
The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) policy for the people of Ukraine was first announced by the Biden administration in the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As of March 2025, more than 100,000 Ukrainians have enrolled in the TPS program.
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