WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has decided to terminate the temporary protection status for nearly 9,000 Nepalese immigrants with authorities asking them to leave or find another way to stay in the US to allow for an orderly transition.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a designation afforded to nationals of countries experiencing humanitarian crisis such as violent conflict, environmental disasters, earthquake or epidemics that would prevent nationals from returning safely.
This decision affects 8,950 people, 85 per cent of whom live in New York.
All of these people from Nepal would have to go back to Nepal or face deportation.
However, to allow for an orderly transition, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M Nielsen has determined to delay the termination for 12 months.
The designation will now terminate on June 24, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The decision to terminate TPS for Nepal was made after a review of the environmental disaster-related conditions upon which the country’s original designation was based and an assessment of whether those originating conditions continue to exist as required by statute. PTI