In the News

A group of 56 House Democrats sent a letter Monday that presses the Trump administration to renew Temporary Protected Status for roughly 86,000 Hondurans. The letter, addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, argued that Honduras still hasn't rebounded from destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and isn't ready to repatriate its nationals. The lawmakers contended that the Central American nation's health, water and sanitation services were "severely damaged" and haven't recovered in the two decades that followed the storm. If a country is designated for TPS, its nationals in the United States can remain and work legally. The status needs to be renewed periodically, however, and the Trump administration has moved to phase out coverage for most countries. Nielsen is expected to decide by Friday whether to renew enrollment for Honduras, which received a six-month extension in November. At the same time Honduras was extended, the administration announced it would terminate the status for Nicaragua, which also received the designation in the aftermath of Mitch. Jimmy Gomez of California, Norma Torres of California and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts led the effort to petition Nielsen.