Trump to terminate deportation protection for thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in US
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A protester arrested during protests sparked by immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, on June 10.
PHOTO: EPA
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WASHINGTON – The US Department of Homeland Security will terminate deportation protections for thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the country, according to US government notices posted on July 7, as part of a broad effort by US President Donald Trump to strip legal status from migrants.
The terminations, effective from Sept 6, would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an estimated 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have had access to the legal status since 1999, according to a pair of notices posted online on July 7.
Mr Trump, a Republican, has sought to end temporary legal status
The Trump administration argues that deportation protections were overused in the past and that many immigrants no longer merit protection.
Democrats and advocates say that the migrants could be forced to return to dangerous conditions and that US employers depend on their labour.
During his first presidency, Mr Trump sought to end most TPS enrolment, including the designations covering Honduras and Nicaragua, but was blocked by federal courts. REUTERS
