Trump administration ends temporary protected status for Yemen

Feb 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has ended temporary protected status for Yemen, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Friday, the latest move targeting immigrants.

The decision to end humanitarian protections that grant deportation relief and work permits to more than a thousand Yemeni nationals was taken after determining that it was against the U.S. “national interest”, Noem said.

TPS provides relief to people already in the U.S. if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. The Trump administration has sought to end most enrollment in the program, saying it runs counter to U.S. interests.

“After reviewing conditions in the country and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies, I determined that Yemen no longer meets the law’s requirements to be designated for Temporary Protected Status,” she said.

Around 1,380 Yemeni nationals were covered by the temporary protected status as of March 31, 2025, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The status was last extended in 2024 and was set to expire on March 3 this year.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya in Toronto, Kristina Cooke in Los Angeles; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis and David Ljunggren)