For almost 20 years, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program has allowed 2,500 Nicaraguans to legally stay in the U.S. However, in the Trump administration’s recent decision, by Jan. 5, 2019, they will need to have either left the United States or have obtained other means of legal residence.

According to a press release, “Acting Secretary Elaine Duke determined that those substantial but temporary conditions caused in Nicaragua by Hurricane Mitch no longer exist, and thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated.”

The U.S.’s TPS program was enacted as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, allowing legal residence to foreign people unable to return to their country due to the country’s conditions. Adverse conditions preventing their return include violence, natural disasters, or any sort of situation that would endanger them.

The program had included more than ten countries, but in recent decisions, TPS for Sudan and Sierra Leone have also been revoked. Still, the decision regarding Nicaragua has garnered wide-scale criticism.

Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has especially been vocal.

“The Trump Administration’s irresponsible decision to end TPS for Nicaraguans will tear apart families and upend the lives of these hard-working individuals. These immigrants have lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and have raised U.S. citizen children, contributed to our economy and enriched our communities.

Deporting families who are contributing to the economic and social fabric of our nation isn’t leadership; it’s a reckless and callous abuse of power. It is now up to Congress to provide relief for these immigrant families.

We call on members of Congress to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in supporting the passage of the American Promise Act, which would ensure individuals who reside in the U.S. under TPS remain in the country and have the opportunity to pursue a path to naturalization,” Grisham said on social media.