An estimated 57,000 people could be affected if the US President does press on with the change, which is scheduled for Jan 5, 2020.

The TPS was granted to the Honduran immigrants after Hurricane Mitch hit the Central American country in 1998.

According to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, "The decision to terminate TPS for Honduras was made after a review of the environmental disaster-related conditions upon which the country’s original 1999 TPS designation was based and an assessment of whether those originating conditions continue to exist, as required by statute."

"Based on careful consideration of available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process, the Secretary determined that the disruption of living conditions in Honduras from Hurricane Mitch that served as the basis for its TPS designation has decreased to a degree that it should no longer be regarded as substantial. Thus, as required under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated," it added.

Reacting to the US' decision, the Honduran ambassador to the US, Marlon Tabora, said that it will be difficult to accommodate all the 57,000 people in the Central American nation.

"These families have lived in the United States for 20 years and re-integrating them into the country will not be easy if they decide to return," he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

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