The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday, October 18, that Ukrainians and Sudanese enrolled in temporary protected status (TPS) will remain covered while the administration delays a decision on ending the program. The scheduled expiration was Monday, October 19.
Background: Trump Weighs Ending Temporary Protected Status for 100,000 Ukrainians Before October 19, 2026
A spokesperson said announcements “will be made at the appropriate time,” and that enrolled nationals “retain protection” until then. The agency gave no date for a decision.
Federal data from March 2025 listed more than 100,000 Ukrainians and more than 1,790 nationals of Sudan enrolled. The department has not announced a formal extension.
The announcement leaves a legal question open. Immigration lawyers and the American Immigration Council say a missing advance notice can trigger an automatic extension, while USCIS continued to list the October expiration as current as of Saturday.
A six-month extension may already apply under the notice rules
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is required to decide at least 60 days before a designation expires. The American Immigration Council says the decision must appear in the Federal Register by then; if the government misses that window, the designation automatically extends for at least six months.
The council says that notice requirement was not met for Ukraine. But the administration has not confirmed whether the automatic extension applies, and its public response has not clarified the issue. It has directed people to monitor the USCIS website for updates.
The department also did not answer a question about a possible extension for either country. Until it announces a decision, people enrolled in the program remain protected, but their longer-term status is unresolved.
The two designations cover people fleeing war and unsafe conditions
Congress created the program in 1990 to let people from countries facing armed conflict, disasters or other crises remain temporarily in the United States and obtain work permits. Ukrainians can also apply for an Employment Authorization Document and enroll in educational institutions.
The government designated Ukraine on March 3, 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The administration renewed the designation on Jan. 17, 2025; the renewal took effect in April for 18 months. The country remains at war, and civilian casualties have reached their highest levels since the invasion began.
Sudan’s designation dates to the late 1990s and has been renewed by successive administrations amid conflict and political turmoil. Sudanese nationals received the designation again in 2022. The country is now in a civil war that has driven a severe food crisis and one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. The State Department has issued its highest-level do-not-travel advisory for both countries.
Ukrainian families and local groups describe a period of uncertainty
Kate, a recent high school graduate in Nebraska, fled Ukraine with her mother and brother four years ago. She said she was relieved the protection would not end immediately. She asked to be identified only by her first name because she fears being targeted by immigration agents.
“Everyone is extremely stressed,” said Iryna Mazur, Ukraine’s honorary consul to Philadelphia and an immigration attorney. Mazur said the designation needs both an extension and a redesignation, which would open it to more recent arrivals.
Mary Kalyna, a Ukrainian American activist in Philadelphia, said, “There's a lot of confusion.” The region has a large Ukrainian community, and thousands could be affected, including people who hold protection and others hoping to obtain it. Some have left for other countries; others have nowhere to go because their homes were destroyed and their cities remain under attack.
Andre Krug, president and CEO of KleinLife, said people who had followed the rules and become part of their communities now face questions about their work and safety. The Philadelphia-area social services agency has helped about 2,000 Ukrainians displaced by the war, offering English instruction, employment help, transportation, mental health services, summer camp and after-school programs.
“With the war in Ukraine still ongoing and conditions remaining unsafe, the administration should extend TPS for Ukrainians. Forcing people to return to Ukraine in these circumstances is dangerous and a departure from longstanding U.S. policy.”
Jennie Murray, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, made that appeal in a statement. USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the agency is processing discretionary re-parole applications, including those filed by Ukrainians, on a case-by-case basis. He said the administration is applying intensive screening and vetting.
El Salvador’s delay has left another group waiting
The administration used a similar stopgap when El Salvador’s designation reached its scheduled end on Sept. 9. It said an announcement would come later and that Salvadorans would stay protected in the meantime. An alert posted that day said a decision was forthcoming, but no Federal Register determination appeared by September 10.
About 170,000 Salvadorans hold protection, including 152,000 workers whose annual contribution to the U.S. economy is estimated at $5.4 billion. A September Congressional Research Service report listed El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon as designations still in effect; Lebanon’s scheduled expiration is Nov. 27.
The administration has ended 13 of the 17 designations it inherited
When President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, 17 countries had designations. The administration has since ended 13, affecting more than 1 million immigrants from over a dozen countries. Federal Register notices listed the following beneficiary counts and termination dates:
| Country | Termination date | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | July 14, 2025 | 11,740 |
| Burma | January 26, 2026 | 3,970 |
| Cameroon | August 4, 2025 | 5,460 |
| Ethiopia | February 13, 2026 | 5,010 |
| Haiti | September 2, 2025 | 353,160 |
| Honduras | September 8, 2025 | 70,070 |
| Nepal | August 5, 2025 | 12,160 |
| Nicaragua | September 8, 2025 | 3,850 |
| Somalia | March 17, 2026 | 1,080 |
| South Sudan | January 5, 2026 | 230 |
| Syria | November 21, 2025 | 6,100 |
| Venezuela | April 7, 2025 (2023 designation); November 7, 2025 (2021 designation) | 627,750 |
| Yemen | May 4, 2026 | 2,810 |
Several terminations faced litigation that delayed their effective dates. In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration to proceed with ending protections for Haitians and Syrians. The court also determined that executive-branch decisions on designations could not be challenged in court.
Trump administration officials have argued the program is temporary and criticized earlier administrations for extending it repeatedly. The department has not said when it will announce its decisions on Ukraine and Sudan. The next federal election date cited in the debate is Nov. 3.
