Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ends for more than one million Venezuelans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans, and some are already crossing into Canada to seek asylum.
Between Supreme Court and appeals court rulings throughout this year, the Trump administration succeeded in ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua. More than a million people are now left without work permits or protection from deportation in the United States. Some are already crossing the border into Canada to seek asylum, although that path is much narrower today than it was just a decade ago.
How many people does this decision leave unprotected?
According to data from the Pew Research Center, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was terminated for 616,100 Venezuelans, 334,900 Haitians, 51,000 Hondurans, and 2,900 Nicaraguans—a total exceeding one million people from these four countries alone. The Venezuelan exit is by far the largest, representing more than half of all cases. The termination of TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua had been back-and-forth in the courts since the beginning of the year, until February 9, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals authorized, through an emergency stay, that the termination could proceed while the appeal continues. The termination for Haiti was finalized on June 25, when the Supreme Court upheld Washington’s decision to end it for approximately 350,000 beneficiaries.
Why is Canada no longer the easy escape it once was?
Anyone crossing the land border between the United States and Canada today to seek asylum immediately encounters the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires asylum seekers to apply for protection in the first country they reach. In practice, this means that most people who cross at an official border crossing are returned to the United States to have their case processed there, unless they qualify for one of the agreement’s specific exceptions. Official IRCC figures show that asylum applications filed at land ports of entry fell 81% between January and June of this year compared to the same period in 2024 (from approximately 36,015 to 6,825), a drop that coincides with the tightening of immigration rules in both countries.
“We feel that we no longer have to fight for fair treatment”
La Nación recently told the story of Gemima Cadet, a 32-year-old Haitian woman who lived in Florida for 16 years before losing her Temporary Protected Status (TPS). She and her mother crossed into Canada in January via the land border, and seven months later they are still waiting for a judge to decide on their asylum application, while her mother tries to have her nursing degree recognized and Cadet works in communications. Her case is that of a Haitian woman, not a Latina, but the process she faced (crossing, appearing in court, waiting) is exactly the same one that Venezuelans, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans who lost their TPS are facing today.
A much more uncertain path than before
For Latino families in Canada with relatives under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States, it’s important to understand this: crossing the border is no longer the open door it was over a decade ago. It’s an uncertain process, with stricter rules than before and no guarantee of a positive outcome.
Written by Mauricio Navas Talero LJI Reporter