Congress created TPS in the Immigration Act of 1990, with El Salvador as the first designated country. The Homeland Security secretary can designate a country after war, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions. Some holders, such as people from Honduras and Nicaragua, had lived in the US with TPS since 1999.
About 1.3 million people held TPS in early 2025, many from Venezuela, Haiti and Central America. Since then, the Trump administration has ended or moved to end TPS for most designated countries, affecting an estimated 1 million people, according to Pew Research Center. Haiti's designation was set to end in July 2026.
Courts initially paused several terminations. In Mullin v. Doe, decided in June 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law generally bars courts from reviewing decisions to end a TPS designation. Many longtime residents now face loss of work permits and possible deportation.