DHS ends Temporary Protected Status for Yemeni citizens in U.S. oan

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:50 PM – Friday, February 13, 2026

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of Yemen in the United States. The termination will officially take effect 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.

It affects approximately 1,400 individuals.

The decision, announced on Friday by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ends the humanitarian protection that had previously shielded Yemeni nationals in the U.S. from deportation and allowed them to work legally here.

The move follows a review of conditions in Yemen, with DHS concluding that the country no longer meets the legal requirements for TPS designation. The Trump administration described the termination as aligning with national security priorities and restoring TPS to its intended temporary purpose.

During the 60-day transition period, existing TPS-based work authorizations remain valid. After that, Yemeni nationals who rely solely on TPS, and have no other lawful immigration status, will be expected to depart the U.S. voluntarily.

“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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a DHS news statement on Friday.

 “Allowing TPS Yemen beneficiaries to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interest,” she continued. “TPS was designed to be temporary, and this administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent. We are prioritizing our national security interests and putting America first.”

 

Yemen has held its TPS designation for over a decade, first receiving it on September 3, 2015, due to an ongoing armed conflict that posed severe safety risks to returning citizens. Following that initial designation, the DHS issued successive extensions in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Under the new termination notice, Yemeni nationals without another lawful immigration status have 60 days from Friday to voluntarily depart the United States. To facilitate this transition, the DHS advises individuals to report their departure via the CBP One app. Those who arrange their departure within this 60-day window may be eligible for a complimentary plane ticket, a $2,600 exit bonus, and the preservation of potential pathways for future legal immigration.

While the DHS has also moved to end TPS for citizens of both Venezuela and Haiti, the two groups currently face very different legal realities. For Haitians, a federal judge in D.C. recently blocked the termination, temporarily preserving their status.

However, for Venezuelans, the Supreme Court issued a stay that allows the administration to move forward with stripping protections, despite a recent appeals court ruling that the termination was unlawful.

“After the effective date of the termination, the Department of Homeland Security may arrest and deport any Yemeni national without status once their TPS has been terminated,” the department stated. “If an alien forces DHS to arrest and remove them, they may never be allowed to return to the United States.”