The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday that more than 100,000 migrants from Ukraine and Sudan may remain in the United States without immediate risk of deportation after their temporary protected status was set to expire.
DHS said an announcement on the matter "will be made at the appropriate time" and that those covered by the measures "retain protection" while the department considers next steps. The department did not provide a timetable for a decision or say how long protections would continue.
The groups affected include roughly 101,000 Ukrainians and about 1,800 Sudanese whose temporary protected status was scheduled to end on Monday. Those designations had allowed them to live and work in the United States under protections tied to extraordinary conditions in their home countries.
Temporary protected status is a temporary humanitarian immigration designation that prevents deportation and can permit work authorization for eligible nationals when returning home would be unsafe. DHS did not set out how long the reprieve would last or when it would resolve the status of those covered.
Advocates and migrants who rely on the designations were left with continued uncertainty as the department withheld a final decision. DHS said only that it would provide further information at an appropriate time, leaving open the possibility of an extension, redesignation or other administrative action.