In what constitutes a temporary reprieve following the impending expiration on Monday of their right to remain in the country, more than 100,000 people from Ukraine and Sudan may stay in the United States without immediate risk of deportation, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Temporary Protected Status had been scheduled to lapse on Oct. 19 for approximately 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese; DHS, however, stated that an announcement “will be made at the appropriate time.”

In the interim, the department said in a written statement, Ukrainians and Sudanese in the U.S. covered by those provisional measures “retain protection.”

The Department gave no indication of how long they might remain or when a definitive announcement regarding their status would be forthcoming.

DHS declined to respond to a question as to whether they may retain their work permits, although TPS generally permits individuals to work for as long as their protections remain in force.

Monday's decision constitutes yet another instance in which the Trump administration—which has previously sought to terminate these temporary protections from deportation and repatriate those covered—has permitted beneficiaries of the temporary status to remain in the country, yet without furnishing any guidance as to how long.

The Trump administration has already revoked Temporary Protected Status for upwards of 1 million individuals hailing from 13 countries, among them Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Syria.

Yet in a shift in practice roughly a month ago, the administration left protections intact for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans whose TPS had been slated to expire on Sept. 9.

In that instance, they likewise stated that a decision would be made at the appropriate time and that, in the interim, Salvadorans could continue to work and reside in the U.S.

Activists and a bipartisan cohort of lawmakers have been sounding the alarm over the impending expiration of TPS for Ukrainians, contending that conditions remain too perilous for them to return home amid the war with Russia.

Ukraine received its initial TPS designation in April 2022, in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion two months prior.

The Biden administration subsequently renewed the designation, most recently in January 2025, when DHS authorized a further 18 months of protection extending through October 2026.

Established in 1997, the TPS program for Sudan has been repeatedly extended by successive U.S. administrations, a consequence of the armed conflict and political instability that have long afflicted the African nation.

The decision rendered on Monday precedes by a fortnight the midterm elections of Nov. 3, at which Trump's uncompromising immigration policies will be put to the test at the ballot box.

In 1990, the U.S. Congress established TPS to avert the deportation of individuals to countries beset by natural disasters or civil unrest.

It permits those already present in the country to remain and work, for renewable periods, should the homeland security secretary determine that conditions in their homeland are unsafe for their return.

It does not, however, afford them a pathway to permanent residency.

Supporters contend that deploying this instrument shields individuals from being consigned to perilous circumstances and that displacing people covered by TPS after years of residence in the U.S. is inhumane.

Critics, particularly within the Trump administration, maintain that successive administrations have prolonged these protections for years irrespective of developments in the home countries.

Federal regulations stipulate that TPS is automatically extended for six months should the secretary fail to make a determination at least 60 days prior to the designation's expiration.

“We are grateful for an extension, however temporary, for TPS holders from Ukraine and Sudan,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, an organization that has provided humanitarian assistance in both countries.

“We encourage the administration and Congress to consider longer term relief for women, men and children trying to carve out stability while their countries of origin remain in upheaval.”

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, observed that Ukraine and Sudan are unsafe and satisfy the legal criteria for an extension of TPS.

“Russia’s war on Ukraine is approaching its fifth year, with Ukrainians steeling themselves for yet another winter under drone and missile strikes that inflict civilian casualties and lay waste to critical infrastructure.

Sudan remains mired in a brutal civil war characterised by famine, pervasive human rights abuses and the hallmarks of genocide,” Vignarajah said.

“It is not safe for these families to return home.”

Rebecca Santana, a reporter, contributed reporting from Washington.