Kathmandu. At least 7,000 Nepalis are expected to be forced to return home after us President Donald Trump’s administration decided to scrap temporary protected status (TPS).
At least 7,200 Nepalis out of 12,500 enrolled under the TPS in the US have obtained temporary residency permits. The US administration has ordered them to change their residence permit or return home within 60 days.
Background of TPS status:
Thousands of Nepalis studying in the UNITED States as students, domestic workers, housewives, etc. were given fixed-hour job facilities by the United States after the 2072 earthquake devastated the country. Although it was announced for a short period, the period of this conservation facility has been extended several times since then.
The US government had granted TPS status to those living temporarily in the US or those who do not have a labor permit so that they can earn money in the US and extend a helping hand to those living in nepal affected by the earthquake.
Nepal was first designated for TPS on June 24, 2015 for an 18-month period. TPS was added for the second time on October 26, 2016, for an additional period of 18 months.
After the end of the second period, the disruption of life due to the 2072 earthquake has decreased and tps is no longer necessary. On May 22, 2018, it announced the termination of TPS for Nepal with effect from June 24, 2019.
In protest, Nepalis from all over the world applied online to the US Congress to continue TPS status, sued in Adal, in response, again on May 10, 2019, the decision to terminate TPS was revoked. The Department of Homeland Safety continued and extended the validity of TPS related documents for Nepali beneficiaries until March 24, 2020.
On November 4, 2019, in order to comply with the ongoing litigation, DHS continued and extended TPS related documents for Nepali citizens and citizens of many other countries until January 4, 2021.
On June 21, 2023, DHS published a Federal Review Note (Federal Review Note) reconsidering and revoking the termination of the previous administration of the Nepal TPS. The repeal came into effect on June 9, 2023. The new 18-month extension of TPS, last announced for Nepal, began on December 25, 2023, and will remain in force until June 24, 2025.
What are migrant Nepalis:
Nepalis with temporary residence permits and illegal immigrants, who are sure that the Trump administration’s announcement will come sooner or later, have started consulting on legal remedies.
They have been consulting with Nepali-origin lawyers there with little hope that they will be able to petition again, draw the attention of the US Parliament or be handed over by the court.
Soon after President Donald Trump took office, those who had temporary entry into the United States or were living illegally had anticipated that the legal provisions related to immigration would be tightened.
What is likely to be reconsidered:
Since January, other countries such as Haiti and Afghanistan have also lost their protected status, putting thousands of people at risk of being deported.
In addition, the US Federal Court has also approved the Trump administration to cancel the TPS in the case of some other countries. Therefore, this time in the case of Nepali citizens, there is little possibility of the federal court giving legal remedies to cancel the decision to cancel the TPS.
