The extension allows current Somali TPS beneficiaries to stay and work in the U.S through March 17, 2020. However the administration is not taking on any new applicants, much to the disappointment of Muslim advocacy groups who hoped President Trump would have done more.
Countries are added to the list as circumstances warrant, with renewals coming usually around every 18 months. While some countries were removed, others have stayed on for years, which critics say turns the program into default amnesty. Other countries that had the status for long periods of time — like El Salvador or Honduras — were cut off under Trump.
The protections were never meant to be permanent.
The Trump Administration also ended the program for Sudan, Nicaragua, Nepal and Haiti.
Several of those groups are suing to stay in the U.S.
