Trump administration ends temporary protected status for Yemenis in US
The Trump administration on Friday said it will end temporary protected status (TPS) issued to Yemeni citizens in the US within two months, citing that it is no longer considered to be in the US's interests.
"I determined that Yemen no longer meets the law’s requirements to be designated for Temporary Protected Status," Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.
"Allowing TPS Yemen beneficiaries to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interest," she added.
"We are prioritizing our national security interests and putting America first."
The TPS designation allows applicants from countries deemed unsafe for return to stay in the US and work. It is not a road to permanent residency, and TPS is evaluated on an ongoing basis.
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Yemen was designated for TPS in September 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition, with US involvement, began striking Houthi targets in Yemen to fend off the group's takeover of the capital Sanaa, after the country's longtime president went into exile.
TPS comes up for renewal typically every 18 months. For Yemenis, it was renewed in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
The State Department's travel advisory service on its website still lists Yemen under a "Level 4 - Do Not Travel" designation, which is the highest level available, citing "risk of terrorism, unrest, crime, health risks, kidnapping, and landmines".
The US embassy in Sanaa was forced to abruptly suspend its operations in February 2015.
'Very unfortunate'
Amer Ghalib, the former mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, home to one of the highest concentrations of Yemenis and Yemeni-Americans in the US, told Middle East Eye on Friday that the move is "very unfortunate".
Ghalib, a Yemeni-American immigrant, is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and was among the most high-profile Muslim and Arab leaders in the country to endorse him before the 2024 election. He has also been in touch with the administration at a high level regarding the risks for Yemenis returning home.
"It doesn’t seem like they took anything into consideration," he told MEE.
"If Yemen is safe for them to go back to at this time, then why is it still in the travel ban list?! And if Yemen is a dangerous place for the American citizens to travel to, then it’s definitely not safe for Yemenis who face the possibility of persecution by some militias for political reasons."
Up until last year, the Pentagon was still carrying out air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of civilians.
Israeli strikes have also killed dozens of Yemeni journalists.
TPS Yemen beneficiaries "with no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States have 60 days to voluntarily depart the United States", the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday.
The agency urged Yemenis under TPS to self-deport by registering on the "CBP One" app, through which they can be reimbursed for their plane ticket, receive a $2,600 exit bonus, and have potential future opportunities for legal immigration.
Such payouts, though previously at lower rates, have also been offered to the millions of undocumented immigrants in the US since May.
Many, however, reported receiving no funds at all.
If Yemenis under TPS remain in the US past the programme's expiry, they may be arrested, detained, and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, DHS warned.
Deportations typically carry a 10-year ban on re-entry to the US.
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