Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure

November 4, 2004 – December 11, 2023 RS20844

Temporary Protected Status and Deferred
December 11, 2023
Enforced Departure
Jill H. Wilson
When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in countries around the world, concerns
Analyst in Immigration
arise over the ability of foreign nationals present in the United States who are from those
Policy
countries to safely return. Provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provide for

temporary protected status (TPS) and other forms of relief from removal under specified
circumstances. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the discretion to designate a country for

TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can extend these periods if the country continues to meet
the conditions for designation. 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.
In addition to TPS, there is another form of blanket relief from removal known as deferred enforced departure (DED). DED
is a temporary, discretionary, administrative stay of removal granted to foreign nationals from designated countries. Unlike
TPS, a DED designation emanates from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no
statutory basis.
There are currently 16 countries under TPS designations. As of September 30, 2023, approximately 697,530 foreign nationals
from the following countries who were living in the United States were protected by TPS: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon,
El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and
Yemen. Certain Liberians and residents of Hong Kong living in the United States currently maintain relief under DED.
There is ongoing debate about whether foreign nationals who have been living in the United States for long periods of time
with TPS or DED should have a pathway to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Two bills that would have provided LPR
status to certain TPS and DED recipients passed the House in the 117th Congress; the Senate did not take action. Various bills
related to TPS and DED have been introduced in the 118th Congress. These bills include proposals to designate additional
countries, provide additional benefits to TPS or DED recipients, or provide for LPR status, while others would restrict
individual eligibility for TPS and limit DHS authority to extend TPS designations.
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Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure

Background
Federal law provides that all foreign nationals (aliens1) attempting to enter the United States must
do so pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA allows for the admission
of (1) immigrants, who are admitted to the United States permanently,2 and (2) nonimmigrants,
who are admitted for temporary durations and specific purposes (e.g., students, tourists,
temporary workers, or business travelers).3 Foreign nationals in the United States who lack lawful
immigration status generally fall into three categories: (1) those who were admitted legally and
then overstayed their nonimmigrant period of admission,4 (2) those who entered the country
surreptitiously without inspection, and (3) those who were admitted on the basis of fraudulent
documents. In all three instances, such individuals are in the United States in violation of the INA
and subject to removal.
The executive branch has discretion to grant temporary reprieves from removal to individuals
present in the United States in violation of the INA.5 Temporary Protected Status (TPS), codified
in INA Section 244,6 provides temporary relief from removal and work authorization to foreign
nationals—regardless of their immigration status—in the United States from countries
experiencing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary circumstances that prevent
their safe return. This report begins by situating TPS in the context of humanitarian responses to
migration. Another form of blanket relief7 from removal—Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)—
is also described, as is the historical use of these relief mechanisms. This report then provides
information on each of the countries currently designated for TPS or DED, including the
conditions that have contributed to their designation. Past legislation to provide lawful permanent
resident (LPR) status to certain TPS-designated foreign nationals is also described. The report
concludes with a discussion of current legislative activity, as well as prior activity in the 117th
Congress, related to TPS.
Humanitarian Response
As a State Party to the 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (U.N.
Protocol),8 the United States agrees to the principle of nonrefoulement, which asserts that a
refugee should not be returned to a country where he or she faces serious threats to his or her life
or freedom on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or

1 Alien is the term used in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to mean anyone who is not a citizen or national
of the United States. It is synonymous with foreign national. See INA §101(a)(3) (8 U.S.C. §1101(a)(3)).
2 See CRS Report R42866, Permanent Legal Immigration to the United States: Policy Overview.
3 See CRS Report R45040, Immigration: Nonimmigrant (Temporary) Admissions to the United States.
4 See CRS Report R47848, Nonimmigrant Overstays: Overview and Policy Issues.
5 For more information, see CRS Report R45158, An Overview of Discretionary Reprieves from Removal: Deferred
Action, DACA, TPS, and Others.
6 8 U.S.C. §1254a.
7 The term blanket relief in this report refers to 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.
8 The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which was amended by its 1967 Protocol,
defines who is a refugee and sets out the legal, social, and other kinds of protections that refugees and those seeking
asylum are entitled to receive. It also states the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. United Nations High
Commission for Refugees, Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Its 1967 Protocol, Geneva, Switzerland,
https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/about-us/background/4ec262df9/1951-convention-relating-status-refugees-its-1967-
protocol.html.
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political opinion. (This is now considered a rule of customary international law.) Nonrefoulement
is embodied in several provisions of U.S. immigration law. Most notably, it is reflected in INA
provisions requiring the government to withhold the removal of a foreign national to a country in
which his or her life or freedom would be threatened on the basis of race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.9
The definition of a refugee in the INA, which is consistent with the U.N. Protocol, specifies that a
refugee is a person who is unwilling or unable to return to his/her country of nationality or
habitual residence because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of
race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.10 This
definition also applies to individuals seeking asylum. Under the INA, refugees and asylees differ
on the physical location of the persons seeking the status: those abroad apply for refugee status
while those in the United States or at a U.S. port of entry apply for asylum.11 Those admitted as
refugees or granted asylum can apply for LPR status after one year.
Other foreign nationals in the United States who might elicit a humanitarian response may not
qualify for asylum because they do not meet the legal definition of a refugee; under certain
circumstances these persons may be eligible for relief from removal through TPS or DED.
Temporary Protected Status
TPS is a blanket form of humanitarian relief.12 It is the statutory embodiment of safe haven for
foreign nationals within the United States13 who may not qualify for asylum but are nonetheless
fleeing—or reluctant to return to—potentially dangerous situations. TPS was established by
Congress by Title III of the Immigration Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-649). The statute gives the
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),14 in consultation with other
government agencies (most notably the Department of State), the authority to designate a country
for TPS under one or more of the following conditions:
(1) ongoing armed conflict in a foreign state that poses a serious threat to personal safety;
(2) a foreign state request for TPS because it temporarily cannot handle the return of its
nationals due to an environmental disaster; or
(3) extraordinary and temporary conditions in a foreign state that prevent its nationals from
safely returning.

9 INA §208 (8 U.S.C. §1158); INA §241(b)(3) (8 U.S.C. §1231(b)(3)); and INA §101(a)(42) (8 U.S.C. §1101(a)(42)).
10 INA §101(a)(42) (8 U.S.C. §1101(a)(42)). In certain circumstances specified in INA §101(a)(42)(B), a refugee may
be within his/her country of nationality or habitual residence.
11 See CRS Report R45539, Immigration: U.S. Asylum Policy; and CRS Report RL31269, Refugee Admissions and
Resettlement Policy.
12 The term blanket relief refers to 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.
13 Foreign nationals outside the United States are not eligible to apply for TPS.
14 When TPS was enacted in 1990, most immigration-related functions, including designating countries for TPS, fell
under the authority of the Attorney General. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 (P.L.
107-296), most of the Attorney General’s immigration-related authority transferred to the Secretary of DHS as of
March 1, 2003.
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A foreign state may not be designated for TPS if the Secretary of DHS finds that allowing its
nationals to temporarily stay in the United States is against the U.S. national interest.15
The Secretary of DHS may designate a country for TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can
extend these periods if the country continues to meet the conditions for designation.16 Each
designation specifies the date by which individuals must have continuously resided in the United
States in order to qualify.17 If the Secretary extends a designation, he or she may also move
forward the required arrival date to allow foreign nationals who arrived in the United States later
to qualify, an action referred to as redesignation. Redesignation is not defined in law; it also
refers to cases in which a country is designated for TPS for a different or additional reason than
previously designated (e.g., initially designated on the basis of armed conflict, and subsequently
designated on the basis of a natural disaster).
To obtain TPS, nationals18 of foreign countries designated for TPS must pay specified fees19 and
submit an application to DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before the
deadline set forth in the Federal Register notice announcing the TPS designation. The application
must include supporting documentation as evidence of eligibility (e.g., a passport issued by the
designated country and records showing continuous physical presence in the United States since
the date established in the TPS designation).20 The statute specifies grounds of inadmissibility that
cannot be waived, including those relating to criminal convictions, drug offenses, terrorist
activity, and the persecution of others.21 Foreign nationals outside the United States are not
eligible to apply for TPS.
Individuals granted TPS are eligible for employment authorization, cannot be detained on the
basis of their immigration status, and are not subject to removal while they retain TPS.22 They
may be deemed ineligible for public assistance by a state; they may travel abroad with the prior
consent of the DHS Secretary.23 TPS does not provide a path to lawful permanent residence or
citizenship, but a TPS recipient is not barred from acquiring nonimmigrant or immigrant status if
he or she meets the requirements.24 DHS has indicated that information it collects when an
individual registers for TPS may be used to enforce immigration law or in any criminal

15 INA §244(b)(1) (8 U.S.C. §1254a(b)(1)).
16 There is no limit on the number of extensions a country can receive.
17 This date is typically the same or very near to the date of the designation announcement.
18 In addition to nationals of designated countries, TPS statute provides that persons with no nationality who “last
habitually resided in such designated state” are eligible to apply. INA §244(a)(1) (8 U.S.C. §1254a(a)(1)).
19 Fees for initial applicants include a $50 application fee (may not exceed $50 per 8 U.S.C. §1254a(c)(1)(B)), a $410
filing fee for employment authorization (if applying for employment authorization and between the ages of 14 and 65),
and an $85 biometrics services fee for those age 14 and over. Applicants may request a waiver of the application and
biometrics fees per 8 C.F.R. §103.7(c). Reregistration does not require the $50 application fee, but the other fees apply.
20 See 8 C.F.R. §244.9 for details on evidence that must be submitted.
21 Section 212 of the INA specifies broad grounds on which foreign nationals are considered ineligible to receive visas
and ineligible to be admitted to the United States. Section 244(c)(2) in the TPS statute lists which of these grounds of
inadmissibility may be waived and which may not be waived.
22 INA §244(a)(1)(A), (a)(1)(B), (d)(4) (8 USC §1254a (a)(1)(A), (a)(1)(B), (d)(4)).
23 INA §244(f) (8 U.S.C. §1254a(f)).
24 For purposes of adjustment to lawful permanent resident status or a change to a nonimmigrant status, an individual
granted TPS is considered as being in and maintaining “lawful status as a nonimmigrant” during the period in which
the alien is granted TPS. INA §244(f)(4) (8 U.S.C. §1254a(f)(4)).
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proceeding.25 In addition, withdrawal of an individual’s TPS may subject the individual to
exclusion or deportation proceedings.26
Deferred Enforced Departure
In addition to TPS, there is another form of blanket relief from removal known as deferred
enforced departure (DED).27 DED is a temporary, discretionary, administrative stay of removal
granted to foreign nationals from designated countries. Unlike TPS, a DED designation emanates
from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no statutory basis.
DED was first used in 1990 and has been applied to seven countries (see “Historical Use of
Blanket Relief”). Liberia and Hong Kong are currently covered by DED.
DED—and its precursor, extended voluntary departure (EVD)28—have been used on country-
specific bases to provide relief from removal at the President’s discretion, usually in response to
war, civil unrest, or natural disasters.29 When Presidents grant DED through an executive order or
presidential memorandum, they generally provide eligibility guidelines and direct the Secretary of
Homeland Security to allow DED-eligible individuals to apply for employment authorization.
Unlike TPS, the Secretary of State does not need to be consulted when DED is granted. In
contrast to recipients of TPS, individuals who benefit from DED are not required to register for
the status with USCIS unless they are applying for work authorization.30 Instead, DED is
triggered when a protected individual is identified for removal.
Historical Use of Blanket Relief
In 1990, when Congress enacted the TPS statute, it also granted TPS for 18 months to Salvadoran
nationals who were residing in the United States. Since then, the Attorney General (and later, the
Secretary of DHS), in consultation with the Secretary of State, granted and subsequently
terminated TPS for foreign nationals in the United States from the following countries: Angola,

25 8 C.F.R. §244.16.
26 8 C.F.R. §244.14.
27 DED is not to be confused with deferred action, which the Department of Homeland Security defines as “a
discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion.” For more
information, see CRS Report R45158, An Overview of Discretionary Reprieves from Removal: Deferred Action,
DACA, TPS, and Others; and CRS Report R45995, Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals, DACA, and Related Legislation.
28 EVD status, which was used from 1960 to 1990, was given to nationals of Iran, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Poland, and
Uganda. Other countries whose nationals have benefitted in the past from a status similar to EVD include Cambodia,
Chile, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Hungary, Laos, Romania, and Vietnam.
29 See, for example, Executive Order 12711, “Policy Implementation With Respect to Nationals of the People’s
Republic of China,” Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George Bush XLI, President of the United
States: 1989-1993 (Washington: GPO, 1990); The White House (President Obama), Office of the Press Secretary,
“Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security,
September 28, 2016; The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Deferred Enforced Departure
for Certain Venezuelans,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security,
January 19, 2021.
30 In general, the President directs executive agencies to implement procedures to provide DED and related benefits,
such as employment authorization. See, for example, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED),
https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/complete-correct-form-i-9/temporary-protected-status-and-deferred-enforced-
departure.
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Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kosovo (then a province of Serbia),
Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Montserrat, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.31
When the initial TPS designation of El Salvador expired in 1992, President George H. W. Bush
granted DED to an estimated 190,000 Salvadorans through December 1994. President Bush also
granted DED to about 80,000 Chinese nationals in the United States following the Tiananmen
Square massacre in June 1989, and these individuals retained DED status through January 1994.32
From 1991 to 1996, DED was also granted to about 2,200 Kuwaiti Persian Gulf evacuees who
were airlifted to the United States after the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In December 1997,
President Clinton instructed the Attorney General to grant DED for one year to Haitian nationals
in the United States, providing time for the Administration to work with Congress on long-term
legislative relief for Haitians.33 President George W. Bush directed that DED be provided to
Liberian nationals whose TPS was expiring in September 2007; Liberian DED was extended
several times by President Obama.34 President Trump terminated DED for Liberians, but provided
for extended wind-down periods that lasted until January 10, 2021 (for more details, see the
“Liberia” section).35 On President Trump’s last full day in office, he granted DED to
Venezuelans.36 President Biden reinstated DED for Liberians on his first day in office.37 In August
2021, President Biden granted DED to residents of Hong Kong living in the United States.38 DED
for Venezuela expired on July 20, 2022, following its designation for TPS in March of 2021 (see
“Venezuela” below).

31 For a current and historical list of TPS designations by country and links to Federal Register announcements, see
U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Temporary Protected Status,
https://www.justice.gov/eoir/temporary-protected-status. For a graph showing effective dates, bases for designation,
and types of TPS decisions for FY1990–FY2019, see U.S. Government Accountability Office, Temporary Protected
Status: Steps Taken to Inform and Communicate Secretary of Homeland Security’s Decisions, GAO-20-134, April
2020, p. 11, https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-134.pdf.
32 Many of the beneficiaries of this DED grant were able to adjust to LPR status through the Chinese Student Protection
Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-404).
33 The Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) (Title II of P.L. 105-100) was enacted in
1997 and provided eligibility for LPR status to certain Nicaraguans, Cubans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and nationals
of the former Soviet bloc. President Clinton, among others, argued that Haitians deserved similar statutory treatment.
The Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA) (P.L. 105-277) was enacted in 1998, allowing certain Haitian
nationals who were in the United States before December 31, 1995, to adjust to LPR status. For more information, see
archived CRS Report RS21349, U.S. Immigration Policy on Haitian Migrants.
34 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “DED Granted Country -
Liberia,” https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/deferred-enforced-departure/ded-granted-country-liberia/ded-granted-
country-liberia.
35 The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Extending the Wind-Down Period for Deferred
Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland
Security, March 30, 2020; The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Extension of Deferred
Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland
Security, March 28, 2019; and The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Expiration of
Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, March 27, 2018.
36 The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain
Venezuelans,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, January
19, 2021.
37 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Reinstating Deferred Enforced Departure for
Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, January 20,
2021.
38 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Memorandum on the Deferred Enforced
Departure for Certain Hong Kong Residents,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, August 5, 2021.
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Current TPS and DED Designations
Sixteen countries are currently designated for TPS. As of September 30, 2023, approximately
697,530 foreign nationals residing in the United States from the following 16 countries were
protected by TPS: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal,
Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Table 1 lists the TPS-designated countries as of the date of this report, the most recent decision
(e.g., designation, extension, or termination) by the Secretary of DHS, the date from which
individuals are required to have continuously resided in the United States, and the designation’s
current expiration date. In addition, Table 1 shows the number of individuals protected by TPS as
of September 30, 2023.39
In addition to the countries designated for TPS, certain nationals from Liberia are covered by
DED, as are certain Hong Kong residents currently present in the United States (see the “Hong
Kong” and “Liberia” sections). Table 2 shows the dates associated with these grants. Individuals
covered by DED are not required to register for the status with USCIS unless they are applying
for work authorization. As a result, USCIS does not maintain data on the number of people
covered by DED.
Table 1. Countries Currently Designated for TPS
Most Recent
Required Arrival
Expiration
Approved
Country
Decision
Datea
Dateb
Individualsc
Afghanistan
Extension and
September 20, 2023
May 20, 2025
3,905
redesignation
Burma
Extension and
September 25, 2022
May 25, 2024
2,120
redesignation
Cameroon
Extension and
October 5, 2023
June 7, 2025
2,200
redesignation
El Salvador
Recission of
February 13, 2001
March 9, 2025
184,035
termination and
extensiond
Ethiopia
New designation
December 12, 2022
June 12, 2024
1,880
Haiti
Extension and
November 6, 2022
August 3, 2024
164,235
redesignation
Honduras
Recission of
December 30, 1998
July 5, 2025
55,360
termination and
extensiond
Nepal
Recission of
June 24, 2015
June 24, 2025
8,100
termination and
extensione
Nicaragua
Recission of
December 30, 1998
July 5, 2025
2,930
termination and
extensiond

39 Prior USCIS data on TPS recipients included some individuals who also had LPR status and some who had become
naturalized U.S. citizens. USCIS now provides data on TPS recipients who do not have LPR status or U.S. citizenship.
Thus, the numbers used in this report may be lower than those in prior versions of this report and in USCIS’s annual
TPS report to Congress, and more accurately reflect those who rely on TPS to remain in the United States.
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Most Recent
Required Arrival
Expiration
Approved
Country
Decision
Datea
Dateb
Individualsc
Somalia
Extension and
January 11, 2023
September 17, 2024
470
redesignation
South Sudan
Extension and
September 4, 2023
May 3, 2025
120
redesignation
Sudan
Extension and
August 16, 2023
April 19, 2025
1,015
redesignation
Syria
Extension and
July 28, 2022
March 31, 2024
3,880
redesignation
Ukraine
Extension and
August 16, 2023
April 19, 2025
26,215
redesignation
Venezuela
Extension and
July 31, 2023
September 10, 2025
239,175
redesignation
Yemen
Extension and
December 29, 2022
September 3, 2024
1,790
redesignation
Total

697,530f
Sources: CRS compilation of information from Federal Register announcements or press releases; numbers
provided to CRS by USCIS.
Notes: Numbers are rounded to the nearest five by USCIS and may not sum to total due to rounding.
a. The arrival date represents the date from which individuals are required to have continuously resided in the
United States in order to qualify for TPS and is indicated in the most recent TPS designation for that
country. Unless a country is redesignated for TPS, the required arrival date does not change. A foreign
national is not considered to have failed this requirement for a “brief, casual, and innocent” absence. 8
U.S.C. §1254a(c) and 8 C.F.R. §244.1.
b. The expiration date represents the end of the most recent designation period and is subject to change
based on future decisions of the Secretary of DHS.
c. These data reflect the number of individuals (rounded to the nearest five by USCIS) with an approved TPS
application as of September 30, 2023, who had not obtained LPR status or U.S. citizenship. The data may
include individuals who have left the country or died since their last TPS approval, and do not necessarily
include all nationals from the specified countries who are in the United States and are eligible for the status.
d. See the “Central American Countries” section below.
e. See the “Nepal” section below.
f.
Total includes 115 individuals whose country of designation is listed as “Unknown.”
Table 2. Countries/Regions Currently Under a DED Grant
Country/Region
Required Arrival Datea
Expiration Dateb
Hong Kong
January 26, 2023
January 25, 2025
Liberia
May 20, 2017
June 30, 2024
Source: CRS compilation of information from Federal Register announcements and White House press releases.
a. The arrival date represents the date from which individuals are required to have continuously resided in the
United States in order to qualify for DED.
b. The expiration date represents the end of the most recent DED grant and is subject to change based on
future decisions of the President.
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Afghanistan
Tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated and relocated to the United States in the summer of
2021 as a result of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.40 These Afghan nationals
included persons who had assisted the United States during its two-decade military presence and
economic development efforts in Afghanistan. Most Afghan evacuees who were allowed to enter
the United States were granted immigration parole. Parolees are permitted to remain in the United
States for the duration of the grant of parole and may obtain work authorization.41 These benefits
are temporary; parole does not provide a recipient with a designated pathway to LPR status. Most
Afghan evacuees were granted parole for two years,42 though some were reportedly granted
parole for one year.43
On March 15, 2022, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced the designation of Afghanistan for TPS
for a period of 18 months.44 The designation is based on ongoing armed conflict “as the Taliban
seeks to impose control in all areas of the country and Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) conducts
attacks against civilians.”45 The DHS press release also references the “extraordinary and
temporary” conditions that prevent Afghans from being able to safely return to Afghanistan:
“collapsing public sector, a worsening economic crisis, drought, food and water insecurity, lack of
access to healthcare, internal displacement, human rights abuses and repression by the Taliban,
destruction of infrastructure, and increasing criminality.”46 According to DHS, the TPS
designation will allow some 74,500 Afghans who were residing in the United States as of March
15, 2022, to remain and work legally through November 20, 2023. 47
In September 2023, DHS extended Afghanistan’s TPS designation for another 18 months, through
May 20, 2025, based on the conditions described above.48 DHS also redesignated Afghanistan for
TPS, allowing additional Afghan nationals who have been residing in the United States since
September 20, 2023, to apply for TPS. DHS estimates that approximately 14,600 individuals may
become newly eligible for TPS under the redesignation of Afghanistan.49 As of September 30,
2023, 18,200 Afghans had applied for TPS. Of those that had been adjudicated, 4,095 had been
approved.50

40 For more information, see CRS Report R46879, U.S. Military Withdrawal and Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan:
Frequently Asked Questions.
41 For more information, see CRS Report R46570, Immigration Parole.
42 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Fact Sheet on Operation Allies Welcome,” November 5, 2021. Available at
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1110-opa-dhs-resettlement-of-at-risk-afghans.pdf.
43 Rebecca Beitsch, “DHS gives temporary protected status to Afghans in US,” The Hill, March 16, 2022.
44 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Afghanistan for Temporary Protected
Status,” press release, March 16, 2022.
45 Ibid.
46 Ibid.
47 Email to CRS from U.S. Department of Homeland Security, March 17, 2022.
48 Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation of
Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 65728-65737, September 25, 2023.
49 Ibid.
50 Data provided to CRS by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of these applications were pending
adjudication. The 4,095 approvals include 185 individuals who had obtained LPR status as of September 30, 2023, and
are therefore not included in the data presented in Table 1.
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Burma
On February 1, 2021, Burma’s military seized control of Burma’s Union Government and
detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (the country’s de facto civilian leader) and members
of her political party. The military’s action was widely condemned internationally as a blow to
Burma’s partial transition from military rule to democracy.51 In subsequent weeks, the military
used lethal force against peaceful protesters several times.
In a press release announcing the decision to designate Burma for TPS on the basis of
extraordinary and temporary conditions, Secretary Mayorkas stated, “Due to the military coup
and security forces’ brutal violence against civilians, the people of Burma are suffering a complex
and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country.”52 The press release also noted,
“The coup has led to continuing violence, pervasive arbitrary detentions, the use of lethal
violence against peaceful protesters, and intimidation of the people of Burma. The coup has
worsened humanitarian conditions in several areas by limiting access to life-saving assistance,
disrupting flights carrying humanitarian and medical aid, and spurring an economic crisis.”53
Burma’s initial designation was for 18 months (through November 25, 2022) and applied to
Burmese nationals who could demonstrate that they were present in the United States as of March
11, 2021. DHS estimated that 1,600 individuals would be eligible under this designation.54 On
September 26, 2022, Secretary Mayorkas announced that he was extending Burma’s TPS
designation for another 18 months and at the same time redesignating Burma, citing “continuing
violence, large-scale human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions and the use of deadly
force against unarmed individuals, mass displacement of civilians, worsened humanitarian
conditions and limited access to shelter, food, water, and medical care.”55 This redesignation
makes Burmese nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in
Burma) residing in the United States as of September 25, 2022, eligible for TPS. The
redesignation took effect on November 26, 2022, and is to remain in effect through May 25,
2024. DHS estimates that approximately 2,290 additional individuals may be eligible for TPS
under the redesignation of Burma.56 As of September 30, 2023, there were 2,170 individuals
approved for TPS under the Burma designation.57

51 See CRS Insight IN11594, Coup in Burma (Myanmar): Issues for U.S. Policy.
52 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Burma for Temporary Protected Status,”
press release, March 12, 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2021/03/12/secretary-mayorkas-designates-burma-
temporary-protected-status.
53 Ibid.
54 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Burma
(Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status,” 86 Federal Register 28132-28137, May 25, 2021; Michele Kelemen,
“U.S. Offers Protected Status For People From Myanmar As Coup Leaders Crack Down,” National Public Radio,
March 12, 2021; Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk, “U.S. grants Myanmar nationals relief from deportation after
military coup,” Reuters, March 12, 2021; Joe Walsh, “Biden Offers Deportation Relief To Myanmar Nationals Amid
Coup Chaos,” Forbes, March 12, 2021.
55 Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Extends and Redesignates Temporary Protected Status for
Burma,” press release, September 26, 2022, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/09/26/secretary-mayorkas-extends-and-
redesignates-temporary-protected-status-burma.
56 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Burma (Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 58515-58524, September 27, 2022.
57 Data provided to CRS by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of these applications were pending
adjudication. The 2,170 approvals include 50 individuals who had obtained LPR status as of September 30, 2023, and
are therefore not included in the data presented in Table 1.
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Cameroon
Cameroon faces security crises on several fronts.58 Northern Cameroon faces threats from Boko
Haram, a Nigerian-origin armed Islamist group, and an Islamic State-affiliated offshoot. In the
west, a conflict between Anglophone separatists and state security forces that began in 2017 has
led to thousands of civilian deaths and widespread human rights abuses. Over 1 million
Cameroonians have been internally displaced due to the conflicts in the north and west.59 Some
4.7 million Cameroonians (more than one in seven) are in need of humanitarian assistance, per
U.N. estimates.60
In 2020, multiple Members of Congress urged the Trump Administration to halt the planned
removal of Cameroonian asylum-seekers, citing unsafe conditions in Cameroon.61 Starting in
2021, multiple Members of Congress asked the Biden Administration to grant TPS or DED for
Cameroon.62 In 2022, the U.S. organization Human Rights Watch raised concerns over the safety
of Cameroonians removed from the United States, citing allegations that some of those returned
to Cameroon from the United States faced arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, rape, and other
abuses by Cameroonian authorities.63
On April 15, 2022, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced that he was designating Cameroon for
TPS based on armed conflict and extraordinary conditions that prevent its nationals from
returning to Cameroon safely. The announcement cited “the extreme violence between
government forces and armed separatists and a significant rise in attacks from Boko Haram,” as
well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, which “have led to economic
instability, food insecurity, and several hundred thousand displaced Cameroonians without access
to schools, hospitals, and other critical services.”64 The 18-month designation covered nationals
of Cameroon who were residing in the United States as of April 14, 2022. DHS estimated that
11,700 individuals were eligible to file applications for TPS under this initial designation of

58 See CRS Report R46919, Cameroon: Key Issues and U.S. Policy.
59 U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Operational Data Portal: Cameroon, data as of September 30,
2023, at https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/cmr.
60 U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), “Humanitarian Needs Overview: Cameroon,”
March 2023.
61 See, for example, Senator Richard Blumenthal, “Congressional Democrats Demand Trump Administration Reverse
its Barrage of Policies Targeting Asylum Seekers,” press release, June 19, 2020, https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/
newsroom/press/release/congressional-democrats-demand-trump-administration-reverse-its-barrage-of-policies-
targeting-asylum-seekers; Congressional Black Caucus, “The Congressional Black Caucus Sends Letter to ICE with
House Committee on Homeland Security to Stop Deportation Flight to Cameroon,” press release, October 13, 2020,
https://cbc.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2240; and letter from Senator Van Hollen and others to
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, October 28, 2020, available at https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/
201028%20Cameroon%20Letter_Signed.pdf;
62 See, for example, letter from 42 Members of Congress to President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas, February 17,
2021, available at https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/
210217%20TPS%20Cameroon%20On%20Letterhead%20Letter_Final.pdf; and letter from the House Judiciary
Committee to Secretary Mayorkas, July 30, 2021, available at https://lofgren.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/lofgren-
evo.house.gov/files/7.30.21%20Cameroon%20TPS%20Letter.pdf.
63 Human Rights Watch, “‘How Can You Throw Us Back?’: Asylum Seekers Abused in the US and Deported to Harm
in Cameroon,” February 10, 2022.
64 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status
for 18 months,” press release, April 15, 2022.
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Cameroon.65 As of September 30, 2023, 3,370 Cameroonians had applied for TPS, and 2,235 had
been approved.66
In October 2023, DHS extended Cameroon’s designation for 18 months, through June 7, 2025,
based on ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions.67 This allows those
who received TPS under the 2022 designation to remain in the United States through June 7,
2025. DHS also redesignated Cameroon for TPS, allowing additional Cameroonian nationals who
have been residing in the United States since October 5, 2023, to apply. DHS estimated that
approximately 7,900 individuals may be newly eligible for TPS under the redesignation of
Cameroon.68
Central American Countries
The only time Congress designated a country for TPS was in 1990 (as part of P.L. 101-649, the
law establishing TPS) when it designated El Salvador for 18 months.69 In the aftermath of
Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, then-Attorney General Janet Reno announced that she would
temporarily suspend the deportation of nationals from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and
Nicaragua. On January 5, 1999, she designated Honduras and Nicaragua for TPS due to “severe
flooding and associated damage” and “substantial disruption of living conditions” caused by
Hurricane Mitch.70 Prior to leaving office in January 2001, President Clinton said that his
Administration would temporarily suspend deportations to El Salvador because of a major
earthquake. In 2001, the George W. Bush Administration granted TPS to Salvadoran nationals
following two earthquakes that rocked the country.71
Over the years, the George W. Bush Administration and the Obama Administration extended TPS
for Central Americans from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua on the rationale that it was still
unsafe for their nationals to return due to the disruption of living conditions from environmental
disasters.
Beginning in late 2017, the Trump Administration announced decisions to terminate TPS for
Nicaragua and El Salvador and to put on hold a decision about Honduras. In November 2017,
DHS announced that TPS for Nicaragua would end on January 5, 2019 due to “recovery efforts
relating to Hurricane Mitch [that] have largely been completed.”72 On the same day, DHS
announced that more information was necessary to make a determination about TPS for

65 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Cameroon for
Temporary Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 34706-34713, June 7, 2022.
66 Data provided to CRS by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of these applications were pending
adjudication. The 2,235 approvals include 30 individuals who had obtained LPR status as of September 30, 2023, and
are therefore not included in the data presented in Table 1.
67 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 69945-69953, October 10, 2023.
68 Ibid.
69 For historical analysis, see archived CRS Report IB87205, Immigration Status of Salvadorans and Nicaraguans
(available to congressional clients upon request).
70 U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, “The Designation of Honduras Under
Temporary Protected Status,” 64 Federal Register 524-526, January 5, 1999; U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration
and Naturalization Service, “The Designation of Nicaragua Under Temporary Protected Status,” 64 Federal Register
526-528, January 5, 1999.
71 U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service, “The Designation of El Salvador Under
Temporary Protected Status,” 66 Federal Register 14214-14216, March 9, 2001.
72 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Termination of the Designation
of Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status,” 82 Federal Register 59636-59642, December 15, 2017.
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Honduras; as a result, statute dictates that its status be extended for six months.73 On May 4,
2018, DHS announced its decision to terminate the TPS designation for Honduras, with an 18-
month delay (until January 5, 2020) to allow for an orderly transition.74 The terminations for
Nicaragua and Honduras were put on hold due to a legal challenge.75 On June 13, 2023, DHS
announced that it was rescinding the Trump Administration’s terminations and extending their
designations for 18 months.76 The extensions for Nicaragua and Honduras are to last until July 5,
2025.
On January 8, 2018, DHS announced its decision to terminate TPS for El Salvador—whose
nationals accounted for about 60% of all TPS recipients at the time—after an 18-month transition
period. El Salvador’s TPS designation was scheduled to end on September 9, 2019,77 but the
termination was put on hold due to a legal challenge.78 DHS announced in October 2019—as part
of agreements with El Salvador related to information sharing and security—that it would extend
the validity of work permits through January 4, 2021, for Salvadorans with TPS. The October
2019 announcement also stated that Salvadorans with TPS would have “an additional 365 days
after the conclusion of the TPS-related lawsuits to repatriate back to their home country.”79
Subsequently, to comply with court orders, DHS extended TPS-related documentation through
June 30, 2024, for individuals from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and other specified
countries.80 On June 13, 2023, DHS announced that it was rescinding the Trump Administration’s
termination of the TPS designation for El Salvador and extending it for 18 months (until March 9,
2025).81
The large number of Central Americans with TPS, along with their length of U.S. residence and
resulting substantial economic and family ties, have led some to support extending TPS—or
providing LPR status—for Central Americans. Supporters have argued that ongoing violence,
political unrest, and subsequent natural disasters have left these countries unable to adequately
handle the return of their nationals and that a large-scale return could have negative consequences
for the U.S. economy and labor supply, American families, foreign relations, and the flow of
remittances sent by Central Americans living in the United States to their relatives in Central

73 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation
of Honduras for Temporary Protected Status,”82 Federal Register 59630-59636, December 15, 2017.
74 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen Announcement on
Temporary Protected Status for Honduras,” press release, May 4, 2018.
75 For more information on litigation related to TPS terminations, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10541, Termination of
Temporary Protected Status for Certain Countries: Recent Litigation Developments.
76 Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Rescinds Prior Administration’s Termination of Temporary Protected
Status Designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua,” press release, June 13, 2023.
77 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen Announcement on
Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador,” press release, January 8, 2018, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2018/01/08/
secretary-homeland-security-kirstjen-m-nielsen-announcement-temporary-protected.
78 For more information on litigation related to TPS terminations, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10541, Termination of
Temporary Protected Status for Certain Countries: Recent Litigation Developments.
79 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “U.S. and El Salvador Sign Arrangements on Security and Information
Sharing; Give Salvadorans with TPS More Time,” press release, October 28, 2019, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2019/10/
28/us-and-el-salvador-sign-arrangements-security-information-sharing-give-salvadorans.
80 For more information, see Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
“Continuation of Documentation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status Designations for El Salvador, Haiti,
Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal,” 87 Federal Register 68717-68725, November 16, 2022.
81 Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Rescinds Prior Administration’s Termination of Temporary Protected
Status Designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua,” press release, June 13, 2023.
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America.82 Opponents have argued that ending the TPS designations for these countries is
consistent with congressional intent—to provide temporary safe haven.
Ethiopia
Armed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray regional state broke out in late 2020, fueling a large-scale
humanitarian crisis and attracting international concern amid reports of starvation and atrocities.83
The conflict spread into neighboring states in 2021 before a humanitarian truce was declared in
March 2022. The warring parties resumed hostilities in August 2022, prompting concern by
international observers that the renewed hostilities might spur a new wave of human rights abuses
and possible atrocities.84 A ceasefire agreement signed in November 2022 brought an end to the
fighting, but tensions persist, as does large-scale displacement. Armed conflict has continued in
other parts of the country, including in parts of its largest and most populous region, Oromia.
There are also humanitarian crises linked to drought and conflict.
On October 21, 2022, DHS announced the 18-month designation of Ethiopia for TPS, citing
“conflict-related violence and a humanitarian crisis involving severe food shortages, flooding,
drought, and displacement.”85 When announcing TPS for Ethiopia, DHS further stated
Due to the armed conflict, civilians are at risk of conflict-related violence, including
attacks, killings, rape, and other forms of gender-based violence; ethnicity-based
detentions; and human rights violations and abuses. Extraordinary and temporary
conditions that further prevent nationals from returning in safety include a humanitarian
crisis involving severe food insecurity, flooding, drought, large-scale displacement, and
the impact of disease outbreaks.
Ethiopia’s 18-month designation covers individuals who were residing in the United States as of
December 12, 2022, and is to last until June 12, 2024.86 DHS estimates that approximately 26,700
Ethiopians residing in the United States as of October 20, 2022, were eligible to apply. As of
September 30, 2023, 2,285 individuals had applied for TPS under the Ethiopia designation, and
1,905 had been approved.87
Haiti
Devastation caused by a January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti prompted calls for the Obama
Administration to grant TPS to Haitian nationals in the United States.88 The scale of the

82 For information on country conditions, see CRS Report R43616, El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations; CRS
In Focus IF12247, Nicaragua; and CRS In Focus IF11151, Central American Migration: Root Causes and U.S. Policy .
83 See CRS Report R46905, Ethiopia’s Transition and the Tigray Conflict.
84 See, for example, The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Museum Warns of Heightened Risk of Genocide, Mass
Atrocities in Ethiopia,” October 25, 2022. Peace talks resulted in a November 2, 2022, agreement to stop the fighting,
providing a possible path to peace. See U.S. Department of State, “On the African Union-led Peace Talks,” November
2, 2022.
85 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Designates Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months,”
press release, October 21, 2022.
86 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Ethiopia for
Temporary Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 76074-76081, December 12, 2022.
87 Data provided to CRS by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of these applications were pending
adjudication. The 1,905 approvals include 25 individuals who had obtained LPR status as of September 30, 2023, and
are therefore not included in the data presented in Table 1.
88 The issue of Haitian TPS had arisen several times prior, most notably after the U.S. Ambassador declared Haiti a
disaster in September 2004 due to the magnitude of the effects of Tropical Storm Jeanne. A series of tropical cyclones
(continued...)
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humanitarian crisis after the earthquake—with estimates of thousands of Haitians dead and
reports of the total collapse of Port au Prince’s infrastructure—led DHS to grant TPS for 18
months to Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010.89 At the time,
then-DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano stated: “Providing a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals
who are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be endangered by
returning to Haiti is part of this Administration’s continuing efforts to support Haiti’s recovery.”90
DHS extended the TPS designation for Haiti in May 2011, providing another 18 months of TPS,
through January 22, 2013.91 At the same time, DHS issued a redesignation, enabling eligible
Haitian nationals who had arrived in the United States up to one year after the earthquake to
receive TPS. The redesignation targeted individuals who were allowed to enter the United States
immediately after the earthquake on temporary visas or humanitarian parole,92 but were not
covered by the initial TPS designation.93 Subsequently, then-Secretary Jeh Johnson extended
Haiti’s designation several more times, through July 22, 2017.94
A May 2, 2017, letter from members of the Congressional Black Caucus to then-DHS Secretary
John Kelly urged another 18-month extension of TPS for Haiti, citing continued recovery
difficulties from the 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 people, an ongoing cholera
epidemic, and additional damages from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.95 On May 24, 2017, Kelly
extended Haiti’s TPS designation for six months (the minimum allowed by statute), from its
planned expiration on July 22, 2017, to January 22, 2018, and encouraged beneficiaries to prepare
to return to Haiti should its designation be terminated after six months.96 An October 4, 2017,
letter from the Haitian ambassador to then-Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke requested that
Haiti’s designation be extended for an additional 18 months.97 On November 20, 2017, DHS
announced its decision to terminate TPS for Haiti, with an 18-month transition period. Its

in 2008 resulted in hundreds of deaths and led some to label the city of Gonaives uninhabitable. The George W. Bush
Administration did not grant TPS or another form of blanket relief to Haitians, nor was legislation enacted that would
have provided TPS to Haitians, such as H.R. 522 in the 110th Congress. For background information on Haitian
migration to the United States, see archived CRS Report RS21349, U.S. Immigration Policy on Haitian Migrants.
89 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Haiti for
Temporary Protected Status,” 75 Federal Register 3476-3479, January 21, 2010.
90 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Statement from Secretary Janet Napolitano,” press release, January 15,
2010.
91 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Napolitano Announces Extension of Temporary Protected Status
for Haitian Beneficiaries,” press release, May 17, 2011.
92 Parole allows an individual, who may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States, to
be granted authorization to enter the United State for a temporary period. INA §212(d)(5) (8 U.S.C. §1182(d)(5)). For
more information, see CRS Report R46570, Immigration Parole.
93 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Re-designation
of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status,” 76 Federal Register 29000-29004, May 19, 2011.
94 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation
of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status,” 80 Federal Register 51582-51588, August 25, 2015.
95 For conditions following Hurricane Matthew, see CRS In Focus IF10502, Haiti: Cholera, the United Nations, and
Hurricane Matthew.
96 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation
of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status,” 82 Federal Register 23830-23837, May 24, 2017.
97 Letter from Paul G. Altidor, Ambassador to the United States from Haiti, to Elaine C. Duke, Acting Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security, October 4, 2017.
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designation was set to terminate on July 22, 2019,98 but the termination was put on hold due to
legal challenges.99
On May 22, 2021, Secretary Mayorkas announced a new, 18-month TPS designation for Haiti
based on extraordinary and temporary conditions, stating, “Haiti is currently experiencing serious
security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of
basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”100 The announcement
followed months of pressure from immigration advocates and some Members of Congress,
including the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.101 DHS
estimated that 155,000 Haitians would be eligible under this designation,102 which included
individuals who were already covered by the separate TPS designation that began in 2010. In
December 2022, DHS extended Haiti’s designation for another 18 months and at the same time
redesignated Haiti for TPS, allowing Haitian nationals who had arrived in the United States by
November 6, 2022, to apply.103 DHS estimated that an additional 105,100 Haitians would be
eligible to apply under this redesignation. As of September 30, 2023, 164,235 Haitians were
covered by TPS.104
Hong Kong
Following large-scale protests in 2019, China imposed a sweeping National Security Law on
Hong Kong in 2020 that many see as violating a 1984 Sino-British treaty which stated that Hong
Kong’s social and economic systems and individual rights and freedoms would remain unchanged
until at least 2047 and in which China promised to give Hong Kong a “high degree of
autonomy.”105 In February 2021, after Hong Kong authorities charged pro-democracy politicians
and activists with subversion under the new law, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called
for their immediate release, stating, “Political participation and freedom of expression should not
be crimes.”106 On August 5, 2021, President Biden granted DED to certain Hong Kong residents
in the United States citing the “significant erosion” of human rights and fundamental freedoms.107

98 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Acting Secretary Elaine Duke Announcement On Temporary Protected
Status For Haiti,” press release, November 20, 2017, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/11/20/acting-secretary-elaine-
duke-announcement-temporary-protected-status-haiti.
99 For more information on litigation related to TPS terminations, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10541, Termination of
Temporary Protected Status for Certain Countries: Recent Litigation Developments.
100 Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Haiti for Temporary Protected Status for 18
months,” press release, May 22, 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2021/05/22/secretary-mayorkas-designates-haiti-
temporary-protected-status-18-months. For further information on country conditions, see the “Haiti” section in CRS
Report R46781, Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy and Key Issues in the 117th Congress.
101 Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “Menendez, Rubio Urge Biden Administration to Re-designate Haiti for
TPS,” press release, March 12, 2021, https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/-menendez-rubio-urge-biden-
administration-to_re-designate-haiti-for-tps.
102 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status,” 86 Federal
Register 41863-41871, August 3, 2021.
103 Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation of
Haiti for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 5022-5032, January 26, 2023.
104 Data provided to CRS by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This number does not include TPS-approved
Haitians who subsequently obtained LPR status.
105 See CRS In Focus IF10119, China Primer: U.S.-China Relations.
106 Ibid.
107 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Memorandum on the Deferred Enforced
Departure for Certain Hong Kong Residents,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, August 5, 2021.
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Under this directive, eligible individuals could apply to DHS for work authorization and were not
subject to removal from the United States for the next 18 months. DHS estimated that the Hong
Kong population eligible for DED was 3,860 in March 2021.108 On January 26, 2023, President
Biden announced a two-year extension (through February 5, 2025) of DED for certain Hong
Kong residents, including those who arrived in the United States by January 26, 2023.109
Liberia
Liberians in the United States first received TPS in March 1991 following the outbreak of civil
war and were subsequently covered by TPS through September 1999.110 In September 1999,
President Clinton authorized DED for an estimated 10,000 Liberians in the United States when
their TPS designation expired. DED was subsequently extended by President Clinton and
President George W. Bush to September 29, 2002. On October 1, 2002, Liberia was designated
again for TPS due to ongoing armed conflict.111 In 2006, the George W. Bush Administration
announced that TPS for Liberia would expire on October 1, 2007, but that covered Liberians
would be eligible for DED until March 31, 2009. On March 23, 2009, President Obama extended
DED for those Liberians until March 31, 2010, and several times thereafter.112
As a result of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Obama Administration
designated Liberia for TPS again, along with Sierra Leone and Guinea.113 This TPS designation
was set to expire on November 21, 2016, but was extended for six additional months, through
May 21, 2017.114 This extension was granted in order to provide an “orderly transition” for
beneficiaries to “prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States or … to apply for
other immigration benefits for which they are eligible.”115 Similar termination notices were issued
for Sierra Leone and Guinea.
President Obama extended, through March 31, 2018, the DED grant for a specially designated
population of Liberians who had been residing in the United States since October 2002.116 On
March 27, 2018, President Trump announced that, while a further DED extension was not

108 Email to CRS from USCIS, January 7, 2022.
109 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Memorandum on Extending and Expanding
Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Residents,” presidential memorandum for the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, January 26, 2023.
110 See archived CRS Report RL32243, Liberia: Transition to Peace.
111 U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, “Designation of Liberia Under the Temporary
Protected Status Program,” 67 Federal Register 61664-61667, October 1, 2002.
112 See, for example, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Filing
Procedures and Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization and Related Documentation for Liberians Provided
Deferred Enforced Departure,” 75 Federal Register 15715, March 30, 2010; The White House (President Obama),
Office of the Press Secretary, “Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary
of Homeland Security, September 28, 2016.
113 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Liberia for
Temporary Protected Status,” 79 Federal Register 69502-69502, November 21, 2014; and U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Initial Registration Period for
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status,” 80 Federal Register, Number 122, 36551-36552,
June 25, 2015.
114
115 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Six-Month Extension of
Temporary Protected Status Benefits for Orderly Transition Before Termination of Liberia’s Designation for
Temporary Protected Status,” 81 Federal Register 66059-66064, September 26, 2016.
116 The White House (President Obama), Office of the Press Secretary, “Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians,”
presidential memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security, September 28, 2016.
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warranted due to improved conditions in Liberia, U.S. foreign policy interests warranted a 12-
month wind-down period.117 A lawsuit challenging the termination was filed in federal court on
March 8, 2019.118 Three days before the effective DED termination date, President Trump—citing
congressional efforts to provide longer-term relief for Liberians—announced a 12-month
extension of the wind-down period, to last through March 30, 2020.119
On March 30, 2020, President Trump again delayed the effective date of the termination (this
time to January 10, 2021) in order to provide continuous employment authorization to Liberians
eligible to adjust their status under the recently enacted Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness
provision (LRIF). LRIF, enacted by the 116th Congress as Section 7611 of the FY2020 National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, P.L. 116-92, signed into law by President Trump on
December 20, 2019), allowed Liberians who had been continuously present in the United States
since November 2014 and their family members to apply for LPR status. The deadline for
submitting LRIF applications was December 20, 2021.120
Liberia’s DED grant expired on January 10, 2021. On his first day in office, President Biden
reinstated DED through June 30, 2022, for Liberians who had been covered by the most recent
DED grant, citing foreign policy reasons and a desire to provide protection and work
authorization for Liberians in the process of adjusting status under LRIF.121 In June 2022,
President Biden extended DED by two years and expanded eligibility to include Liberians who
have been continuously present in the United States since May 20, 2017.122 This date aligns with
the end of Liberia’s most recent TPS designation and thus allows certain individuals who may be
eligible for LRIF and/or were not covered by the prior DED grant to receive protection from
removal and work authorization. In his memorandum extending DED, President Biden stated,
“Providing protection from removal and work authorization to these Liberians, for whom we have
long authorized TPS or DED in the United States, including while they complete the LRIF status-
adjustment process, honors the historic close relationship between the United States and Liberia
and is in the foreign policy interests of the United States.”123
Nepal
Nepal was devastated by a massive earthquake on April 25, 2015, killing over 8,000 people. The
earthquake and subsequent aftershocks demolished much of Nepal’s housing and infrastructure in

117 The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Expiration of Deferred Enforced Departure for
Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, March 27,
2018.
118 Complaint, African Cmtys. Together v. Trump, No. 1:19-cv-10432 (D. Mass. Mar. 8, 2019).
119 The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Extension of Deferred Enforced Departure for
Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, March 28,
2019.
120 The initial application deadline was December 20, 2020, but Section 901 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2021 (P.L. 116-260) extended the deadline to apply for LRIF by one year (to December 20, 2021).
121 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Reinstating Deferred Enforced Departure for
Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, January 20,
2021.
122 The White House (President Biden), Office of the Press Secretary, “Extending and Expanding Eligibility for
Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, June 27, 2022.
123 Ibid.
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many areas. Over half a million homes were reportedly destroyed.124 On June 24, 2015, citing a
substantial but temporary disruption in living conditions as a result of the earthquake, then-DHS
Secretary Jeh Johnson designated Nepal for TPS for an 18-month period.125 TPS for Nepal was
extended for 18 months in October 2016.126 On April 26, 2018, then-Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
announced her decision to terminate the TPS designation for Nepal, citing her assessment that the
original conditions under which the country was designated were no longer substantial and that
Nepal could adequately handle the return of its nationals.127 A 12-month delay of the termination
date to allow for an orderly transition was also announced; the TPS designation for Nepal was
thus set to terminate on June 24, 2019.128 The termination was put on hold due to a legal
challenge.129 On June 13, 2023, DHS announced that it was rescinding the Trump
Administration’s termination of Nepal’s designation (along with those for three Central American
countries, as described above) and extending it 18 months, through June 24, 2025.130
Somalia
Somalia has endured decades of chronic instability and humanitarian crises. Since the collapse of
the authoritarian Siad Barre regime in 1991, it has lacked a viable central authority capable of
exerting territorial control, securing its borders, or providing security and services to its people.131
Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991 based on “extraordinary and temporary conditions
… that prevent aliens who are nationals of Somalia from returning to Somalia in safety.”132
Through 26 subsequent extensions or redesignations, Somalia has maintained TPS due to
insecurity and ongoing armed conflict that present serious threats to the safety of returnees. Most
recently, DHS Secretary Mayorkas extended Somalia’s designation for another 18 months
through September 17, 2024; at the same time, he redesignated Somalia, moving the cutoff date
forward and thereby allowing additional individuals who have been continuously residing in the
United States since January 11, 2023, to apply.133 DHS estimated that approximately 2,200
individuals may become newly eligible for TPS under the redesignation of Somalia.134

124 See CRS Report R44303, Nepal: Political Developments and U.S. Relations. For information on more recent
country conditions, see CRS In Focus IF10216, Nepal.
125 U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Nationalization Service, “Designation of Nepal for Temporary
Protected Status,” 80 Federal Register 36346-36350, June 24, 2015.
126 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extensions of the Designation
of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status,” 81 Federal Register 74470-74475, October 26, 2016.
127 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen Announcement on Temporary Protected
Status for Nepal,” press release, April 26, 2018, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2018/04/26/secretary-kirstjen-m-nielsen-
announcement-temporary-protected-status-nepal.
128 Ibid.
129 For more information on litigation related to TPS terminations, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10541, Termination of
Temporary Protected Status for Certain Countries: Recent Litigation Developments.
130 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Rescinds Prior Administration’s Termination of Temporary
Protected Status Designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua,” press release, June 13, 2023.
131 See CRS In Focus IF10155, Somalia.
132 U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Nationalization Service, “Designation of Nationals of Somalia for
Temporary Protected Status,” 56 Federal Register 46804-46805, September 16, 1991.
133 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and
Redesignation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 15434-15443, March 13, 2023.
134 Ibid.
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Sudan and South Sudan
Decades of civil war preceded South Sudan’s secession from the Republic of Sudan in 2011.135
Citing both ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that would
prevent the safe return of Sudanese nationals, the Attorney General designated Sudan for TPS on
November 4, 1997. Since then, Sudan has been redesignated or had its designation extended 15
times.
On July 9, 2011, South Sudan became a new nation.136 With South Sudan’s independence from
the Republic of Sudan, questions arose about whether nationals of the new nation would continue
to be eligible for TPS. In response, then-Secretary Napolitano designated South Sudan for TPS on
October 17, 2011.137 TPS has been extended or redesignated nine times since then due to ongoing
armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in South Sudan, including “ongoing
civil war marked by brutal violence against civilians, egregious human rights violations and
abuses, and a humanitarian disaster on a devastating scale across the country.”138 The latest
extension was for 18 months and expires on May 3, 2025.139 This extension was accompanied by
a redesignation, which allows nationals of South Sudan who have been continuously residing in
the United States since September 3, 2023, to apply for TPS.
Citing improved conditions in Sudan, including a reduction in violence and an increase in food
harvests, then-Acting DHS Secretary Duke announced in September 2017 that Sudan’s TPS
designation would expire on November 2, 2018.140 The termination was put on hold due to a legal
challenge.141
On March 2, 2022, Secretary Mayorkas announced a new, 18-month designation for Sudan based
on extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Sudanese from returning safely. The
announcement stated, “The recent military takeover of Sudan’s government has triggered political
instability, violence, and human rights abuses against civilians. A humanitarian crisis linked to
unprecedented floods; food and clean water shortages; violence between the communities of
Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan; and internal displacement is ongoing.”142 This new
designation applied to nationals of Sudan who had been living in the United States since March 1,
2022, including those who benefited from the previous TPS designation for Sudan.143 In August
2023, DHS extended Sudan’s designation for another 18 months, through April 19, 2025, based

135 See CRS In Focus IF10182, Sudan.
136 See CRS In Focus IF10218, South Sudan.
137 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Republic of
South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status,” 76 Federal Register 63629-63635, October 13, 2011.
138 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of South Sudan for
Temporary Protected Status,” 82 Federal Register 44205-44211, September 21, 2017.
139 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 60971-60979, September 6, 2023.
140 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Termination of the
Designation of Sudan for Temporary Protected Status,” 82 Federal Register 47228-47234, October 11, 2017.
141 For more information on litigation related to TPS terminations, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10541, Termination of
Temporary Protected Status for Certain Countries: Recent Litigation Developments.
142 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Sudan and Extends and Redesignates
South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status,” press release, March 2, 2022.
143 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Sudan for
Temporary Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 23202-23210, April 19, 2022.
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on extraordinary and temporary conditions.144 DHS also redesignated Sudan for TPS, allowing
additional Sudanese nationals who have been residing in the United States since August 16, 2023,
to apply for TPS. DHS estimates that an additional 2,750 Sudanese may be eligible for TPS under
this redesignation.145
Syria
The political uprising of 2011 in Syria grew into a protracted civil war; as of late 2022, 5.6
million Syrians were registered as refugees in neighboring countries and 6.9 million remained
internally displaced.146 On March 29, 2012, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano designated Syria for TPS, citing temporary extraordinary conditions that would make
it unsafe for Syrian nationals already in the United States to return to the country.147 In that initial
granting of TPS, Secretary Napolitano made clear that DHS would conduct full background
checks on Syrians registering for TPS.148
TPS for Syrian nationals has since been extended in 18-month increments on the bases of
ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions. The extension on August 1,
2016, was accompanied by a redesignation, which updated the required arrival date into the
United States for Syrians from January 5, 2015, to August 1, 2016.149 The Trump Administration
extended Syria’s designation twice without redesignating; thus, Syrians who entered the United
States after August 1, 2016, remained ineligible.150 The Biden Administration has twice extended
(for 18 months each) and redesignated Syria for TPS.151 The latest redesignation allows Syrian
nationals who have been residing in the United States since July 28, 2022, to apply for TPS. DHS
estimated that approximately 960 individuals may be newly eligible for TPS under the latest
redesignation.152

144 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Sudan for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 56864-56872, August 21, 2023.
145 Ibid.
146 See CRS Report R43119, Syria: Overview of the Humanitarian Response; and CRS Report RL33487, Armed
Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response.
147 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Syrian Arab
Republic for Temporary Protected Status,” 61 Federal Register 19026-19030, March 29, 2012.
148 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, “Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syrian Nationals,” press
release, March 23, 2012, https://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20120323-napolitano-statement-syria-tps.shtm.
149 Previously, Syrians who had arrived in the United States after January 5, 2015, were not eligible for TPS. The
redesignation allows Syrians that arrived between January 5, 2015, and August 1, 2016, to be eligible for TPS. U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation of Syria
for Temporary Protected Status,” 81 Federal Register 50533-50541, August 1, 2016.
150 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation
Syria for Temporary Protected Status,” 83 Federal Register 9329-9336, March 5, 2018; and U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation Syria for Temporary
Protected Status,” 84 Federal Register 49751-49757, September 23, 2019.
151 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Syria for Temporary Protected Status,” 86 Federal Register 14946-14952, March 19, 2021; and U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation of Syria for Temporary
Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 46982-46991, August 1, 2022.
152 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Syria for Temporary Protected Status,” 87 Federal Register 46982-46991, August 1, 2022.
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Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.153 The United States and
its allies have condemned the invasion and provided military, economic, and humanitarian
assistance to Ukraine; imposed trade and financial sanctions on Russia; and enhanced their own
military deterrence posture.154 The invasion triggered massive refugee flows to neighboring
countries and led to millions of people being internally displaced.155
On March 3, 2022, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced the designation of Ukraine for TPS for
18 months.156 DHS cited the armed conflict and extraordinary conditions that prevent Ukrainians
from returning safely to Ukraine. The announcement stated, “This invasion has caused a
humanitarian crisis with significant numbers of individuals fleeing and damage to civilian
infrastructure that has left many without electricity or water or access to food, basic supplies,
shelter, and emergency medical services.”157 DHS’s original announcement of TPS for Ukraine
stated that Ukrainian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since March 1,
2022, and meet the other eligibility requirements may apply for TPS.158 However, in the Federal
Register Notice published on April 19, 2022, DHS established an arrival cutoff date of April
11.159 Thus, Ukrainians who traveled to the United States between March 1 and April 11, 2022,
were also eligible to apply for TPS. DHS estimated that 59,600 Ukrainians would be eligible to
apply.
In August 2023, DHS extended Ukraine’s designation for another 18 months, through April 19,
2025, citing ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions.160 DHS also
redesignated Ukraine for TPS, allowing additional Ukrainian nationals who have been residing in
the United States since August 16, 2023, to apply for TPS. DHS estimates that an additional
166,700 Ukrainian nationals may be eligible for TPS under this redesignation.161
Venezuela
Venezuela is in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro. Narrowly elected in
2013 after the death of populist President Hugo Chávez, Maduro began a second term in January
2019 that is widely considered illegitimate.162 By most accounts, Maduro’s government has
mismanaged the economy and engaged in massive corruption, exacerbating the effects of a
decline in global oil prices and production on the country’s economy. Shortages in food and

153 For more information, see CRS Insight IN11872, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Military and Intelligence Issues and
Aspects.
154 For more information, see CRS Insight IN11869, Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Overview of U.S. Sanctions and
Other Responses; CRS In Focus IF12062, Russia’s War on Ukraine: Financial and Trade Sanctions; and CRS Insight
IN11866, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: NATO Response.
155 See CRS Insight IN11882, Humanitarian and Refugee Crisis in Ukraine.
156 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Designates Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status
for 18 months,” press release, March 3, 2022.
157 Ibid.
158 Ibid.
159 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of Ukraine for
Temporary Protected Status,” 8 Federal Register 23211-23218, April 19, 2022.
160 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 56872-56880, August 21, 2023.
161 Ibid.
162 For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy.
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medicine, declines in purchasing power, and a collapse of social services have created a
humanitarian crisis.163
During 2019, some Members of Congress and nonprofit organizations requested that the Trump
Administration designate Venezuela for TPS,164 and the House passed a bill (H.R. 549) that would
have designated Venezuela for TPS for 18 months.165 A Senate effort in July 2020 to pass H.R.
549 by unanimous consent failed. In response to a letter requesting TPS for Venezuela, the Acting
Director of USCIS stated that USCIS would not recommend any new countries for TPS “until
such time as federal courts resume following federal law,” referring to court decisions to enjoin
the Trump Administration’s terminations of TPS designations for several countries.166 The Trump
Administration never designated Venezuela for TPS. However, on his last full day in office,
President Trump granted DED for 18 months for Venezuelans present in the United States as of
January 20, 2021, asserting that the Maduro regime is responsible for “the worst humanitarian
crisis in the Western Hemisphere in recent memory.”167 Venezuela’s DED grant expired on July
20, 2022.
The Biden Administration determined that Venezuela met the statutory conditions for a TPS
designation on the basis of extraordinary and temporary conditions. Unlike DED, designating
Venezuela for TPS allows those who qualify to obtain an immigration status and documentation
thereof; it also requires that the Administration reconsider country conditions on a periodic basis
and extend or terminate the status accordingly. On March 8, 2021, DHS Secretary Mayorkas
announced an 18-month TPS designation for Venezuela, citing the following factors:
economic contraction; inflation and hyperinflation; deepening poverty; high levels of
unemployment; reduced access to and shortages of food and medicine; a severely
weakened medical system; the reappearance or increased incidence of certain
communicable diseases; a collapse in basic services; water, electricity, and fuel shortages;
political polarization; institutional and political tensions; human rights abuses and
repression; crime and violence; corruption; increased human mobility and displacement
(including internal migration, emigration, and return); and the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic, among other factors.168
USCIS estimated that approximately 323,000 individuals were eligible to file applications for
TPS under this designation of Venezuela.169

163 Ibid.
164 See, for example, letter from 24 U.S. Senators to President Donald J. Trump, March 7, 2019,
https://www.durbin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/March7%20Venezuela%20TPS%20Letter%20FINAL%20SIGNED.pdf;
and letter from 23 U.S. Representatives to Kevin McAleenan, acting Secretary of DHS, May 10, 2019,
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/TPS_-_Venezuela_-_Representative_Mucarsel-Powell.pdf.
165 H.R. 549, 116th Congress.
166 Letter from Ken Cucinelli II, acting director, USCIS, to Leith Anderson, president, National Association of
Evangelicals, October 24, 2019, https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/TPS_-_Venezuela_-
_Anderson.pdf. For information on the TPS-related injunctions, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10215, Federal District
Court Enjoins the Department of Homeland Security from Terminating Temporary Protected Status.
167 The White House (President Trump), Office of the Press Secretary, “Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain
Venezuelans,” presidential memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, January
19, 2021.
168 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status and
Implementation of Employment Authorization for Venezuelans Covered by Deferred Enforced Departure,” 86 Federal
Register 13574-13581, March 9, 2021.
169 Ibid.
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On July 11, 2022, DHS announced an 18-month extension of Venezuela’s TPS.170 Despite calls to
allow Venezuelans who arrived after March 8, 2021, to apply for TPS,171 the extension was not
accompanied by a redesignation to move the arrival date forward.172 However, in September
2023, six months before Venezuela’s TPS designation was set to expire, Secretary Mayorkas
announced that an extension and redesignation were warranted “based on Venezuela’s increased
instability and lack of safety due to the enduring humanitarian, security, political, and
environmental conditions.”173 In an effort to deter additional migration from Venezuela based on
hopes of qualifying for TPS, Secretary Mayorkas noted in a press release that, “it is critical that
Venezuelans understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023 are not eligible for
such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to
stay.”174 DHS estimated that the redesignation would make approximately 472,000 nationals of
Venezuela in the United States newly eligible for TPS.175
Yemen
On September 3, 2015, then-DHS Secretary Johnson designated Yemen for TPS for 18 months
due to ongoing armed conflict in the country.176 A 2015 DHS press release stated that “requiring
Yemeni nationals in the United States to return to Yemen would pose a serious threat to their
personal safety.”177 Since 2015, the war in Yemen has internally displaced more than 4.3 million
people.178 According to the United Nations, Yemen is experiencing one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises, with nearly three quarters of the population in need of humanitarian
assistance.179 Relief efforts in the region have been complicated by ongoing violence and
considerable damage to the country’s infrastructure.180
On January 4, 2017, DHS extended and redesignated Yemen’s current TPS designation through
September 3, 2018. The redesignation updated the required arrival date into the United States for

170 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Announces Extension of Temporary Protected Status for
Venezuela,” press release, July 11, 2022.
171 See letter from 22 Senators to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro
Mayorkas, July 8, 2022; Letter from Senators Rubio and Menendez to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro
Mayorkas, March 31, 2022; Letter from 30 Representatives to President Joseph R. Biden and Secretary of Homeland
Security Alejandro Mayorkas, July 8, 2022; Letter from 14 Representatives to President Joseph R. Biden and Secretary
of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, March 21, 2022; https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/foia/
Temporary_Protective_Status_for_Venezuela-Representative_Soto.pdf; Letter from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, July 9, 2022; and Letter from Catholic leaders to Secretary of
State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, July 19, 2022.
172 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Extension of the Designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected
Status,” 87 Federal Register 55024-55032, September 10, 2022.
173 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of
Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status,” press release, September 20, 2023.
174 Ibid.
175 Ibid.
176 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Designation of the Republic
of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status,” 80 Federal Register 53319-53323, September 3, 2015.
177 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “DHS Announces Temporary
Protected Status Designation for Yemen,” press release, September 3, 2015, https://www.uscis.gov/news/dhs-
announces-temporary-protected-status-designation-yemen.
178 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Yemen Humanitarian Update – Issue 9,”
September 2022.
179 United Nations Population Fund, “Yemen: One of the world’s largest humanitarian crises,” October 11, 2022.
180 See CRS Report R43960, Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention.
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individuals from Yemen from September 3, 2015, to January 4, 2017.181 The Federal Register
notice explained that the “continued deterioration of the conditions for civilians in Yemen and the
resulting need to offer protection to individuals who have arrived in the United States after the
eligibility cutoff dates” warranted the redesignation of TPS.182 The Trump Administration twice
extended Yemen’s TPS designation for durations of 18 months each, but kept the arrival cutoff
date the same.183 In July 2021 and again in January 2023, the Biden Administration extended
Yemen’s designation for 18 months and, at the same time, redesignated the country, thereby
allowing more recent arrivals to the United States to apply.184
State of Residence of TPS Recipients
Individuals with TPS reside in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The
largest populations live in traditional immigrant gateway states: Florida, Texas, California, and
New York. In addition, eight other states had at least 10,000 TPS recipients as of September 2023:
Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, and Illinois.
See Figure 1 and Table 3.

181 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of the Republic of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status,” 82 Federal Register 859-866, January 4, 2017.
182 Ibid.
183 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation
of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status,” 83 Federal Register 40307-40313, August 14, 2018; U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension of the Designation of Yemen for
Temporary Protected Status,” 85 Federal Register 12313-12319, March 2, 2020.
184 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation
of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status,” 86 Federal Register 36295-36302, July 9, 2021; and U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Extension and Redesignation of Yemen for
Temporary Protected Status,” 88 Federal Register 94-103, January 3, 2023.
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Figure 1. Individuals with Temporary Protected Status by State of Residence

Source: CRS presentation of data provided by USCIS.
Notes: These data reflect the number of individuals (rounded to the nearest five) with an approved TPS
application as of September 30, 2023, who had not obtained LPR status or U.S. citizenship. The data may include
individuals who have moved to another state, left the country, or died since their last TPS approval, and do not
necessarily include all nationals from the specified countries who are in the United States and are eligible for the
status.
Adjustment of Status
A grant of TPS does not provide a recipient with a designated pathway to LPR status; however, a
TPS recipient is not barred from acquiring nonimmigrant or immigrant status if he or she meets
the requirements.185 There are statutory limitations on Congress providing adjustment of status to
TPS recipients. Section 244(h) of the INA (8 U.S.C. §1254a(h)) states that the consideration of
any bill, resolution, or amendment that provides for the adjustment to lawful temporary or lawful
permanent resident status for any TPS recipient requires a supermajority in the Senate (i.e., three-
fifths of all Senators) voting affirmatively.
Over the years, Congress has provided for the adjustment to LPR status for groups of nationals
who had been given TPS or DED. In 1992, Congress enacted legislation allowing Chinese

185 To adjust to LPR status, an individual generally must have been “inspected and admitted or paroled” into the United
States (INA §245(a), 8 U.S.C. §1255(a)). In recent years, some federal courts have addressed whether aliens who
unlawfully entered the United States but later received TPS are considered to be “inspected and admitted” into the
United States. Circuit courts were split on this issue. On June 7, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that TPS
does not constitute an admission. For more information, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10607, Supreme Court: Unlawful
Entrants with Temporary Protected Status Cannot Adjust to Lawful Permanent Resident Status.
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nationals who had DED following the Tiananmen Square massacre to adjust to LPR status (P.L.
102-404). The Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) (Title II of
P.L. 105-100), which became law in 1997, provided eligibility for LPR status to certain
Nicaraguans, Cubans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans (some of whom were covered by TPS), and
nationals of the former Soviet bloc who had applied for asylum and had been living in the United
States for a certain period of time. The 116th Congress incorporated Liberian Refugee
Immigration Fairness provisions into the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act; it allows
Liberians who have been continuously present in the United States since November 2014 and
their family members to apply for LPR status. President Trump signed it into law on December
20, 2019 (P.L. 116-92, §7611).
Other legislation to allow persons with TPS to adjust to LPR status received action in past
Congresses; this legislation was not enacted. For instance, the Senate-passed comprehensive
immigration reform bill in the 113th Congress (S. 744) did not include specific provisions for
foreign nationals with TPS to adjust status, but many would have qualified for the registered
provisional immigrant status that S. 744 would have established.186
Two bills that would have provided LPR status to certain TPS and DED recipients passed the
House in the 117th Congress. Title II of the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6)
would have allowed individuals who were eligible for TPS as of January 1, 2017, or DED as of
January 20, 2021, and who had been in the United States for three years to become LPRs. These
provisions would have applied to nationals of 14 countries. H.R. 6 also included a provision
(§203) that would have clarified that TPS recipients are considered “inspected and admitted” for
purposes of adjustment to LPR status.187 The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 (H.R.
1603) would have established a process for certain farm workers in the United States to obtain a
legal temporary status and then LPR status. TPS and DED recipients who met the farm work and
other requirements under the bill would be eligible. H.R. 6 and H.R. 1603 passed the House on
March 18, 2021. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on H.R. 6 on June 15, 2021; no
further action was taken on these two bills in the 117th Congress. Similar bills have been
introduced in the 118th Congress (the American Dream and Promise Act of 2023, H.R. 16; the
DIGNIDAD Act of 2023, H.R. 3599; and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2023, H.R.
4319); they have not seen action as of the cover date of this report.
Legislative Activity in the 118th Congress
Various bills related to TPS and DED have been introduced in the 118th Congress.188 These
include bills that would designate Lebanon for TPS,189 make TPS and DED beneficiaries eligible
for federal financial aid for higher education,190 make TPS and DED beneficiaries eligible for
congressional employment,191 make TPS beneficiaries eligible for enlistment in the Armed

186 See archived CRS Report R43097, Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the 113th Congress: Major Provisions in
Senate-Passed S. 744.
187 For more information, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10607, Supreme Court: Unlawful Entrants with Temporary
Protected Status Cannot Adjust to Lawful Permanent Resident Status.
188 The bills described in this section are those that were identified by CRS by searching congress.gov using the
following terms: “temporary protected status,” “8 U.S.C. 1254a,” and “deferred enforced departure.” Bills that mention
TPS or DED only in “Findings” sections are not discussed.
189 H.R. 2913.
190 See, for example, H.R. 4117 and H.R. 1701.
191 H.R. 1382 and S. 672.
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Forces,192 and provide for adjustment to LPR status for certain TPS and DED recipients.193 Other
bills introduced in the 118th Congress seek to limit TPS, such as by making ineligible individuals
who are members of criminal gangs194 or who hold travel documents issued by the Palestinian
Authority.195 One bill takes a multi-pronged approach that includes requiring congressional
approval for extensions of TPS designations beyond a country’s first extension; prohibiting
designations for countries whose designations were terminated in the last 18 months under certain
conditions; making individuals who entered the United States unlawfully ineligible for TPS;
limiting DHS authority to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility for TPS applicants; and
imposing additional restrictions on TPS recipients who travel abroad.196
Table 3. Individuals with Temporary Protected Status by State of Residence
Individuals

Individuals
State
with TPS
State
with TPS
Alabama
1,690
Nevada
3,975
Alaska
250
New Hampshire
420
Arizona
2,100
New Jersey
26,120
Arkansas
2,860
New Mexico
375
California
62,520
New York
56,500
Colorado
4,665
North Carolina
18,515
Connecticut
4,520
North Dakota
185
Delaware
2,510
Ohio
8,315
District of Columbia
2,685
Oklahoma
2,290
Florida
240,295
Oregon
1,820
Georgia
22,830
Pennsylvania
8,305
Hawaii
170
Rhode Island
1,110
Idaho
405
South Carolina
4,105
Il inois
11,265
South Dakota
275
Indiana
12,865
Tennessee
7,010
Iowa
1,595
Texas
75,030
Kansas
1,510
Utah
6,480
Kentucky
2,230
Vermont
60
Louisiana
2,395
Virginia
24,450
Maine
320
Washington
6,030
Maryland
26,930
West Virginia
275
Massachusetts
23,675
Wisconsin
1,525
Michigan
2,580
Wyoming
90

192 S. 2401.
193 See, for example, H.R. 16, H.R. 3043, H.R. 3194, S. 365, S. 1392, and S. 1727.
194 H.R. 367.
195 H.R. 6164 and H.R. 6211.
196 S. 207.
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Minnesota
3,580
U.S. Virgin Islands
2,330
Mississippi
555
Puerto Rico
490
Missouri
2,125
Other/Unknown
600
Montana
105

Nebraska
1,620
Total
697,530
Source: Data provided to CRS by USCIS.
Notes: Numbers are rounded to the nearest five by USCIS and may not sum to total due to rounding. These
data reflect individuals with TPS as of September 30, 2023, who had not obtained LPR status or U.S. citizenship.
The data may include individuals who have left the country or died since their last TPS approval, and do not
necessarily include all nationals from the specified countries who are in the United States and are eligible for the
status. “Other” includes Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau,
American Samoa, Guam, and the Armed Forces.

Author Information

Jill H. Wilson

Analyst in Immigration Policy

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in
its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or
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copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
RS20844 · VERSION 69 · UPDATED
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