US to end special protections for 9,000 Nepalese immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has decided to end special protections for an estimated 9,000 Nepalese immigrants in the United States.

Immigrants will have until June 24, 2019, to leave or find another way to stay in the country to allow for an orderly transition.

They were granted special protections under President Barack Obama after an earthquake in Nepal in April 2015 killed more than 8,000 people. The Obama administration extended the protections for 18 months in October 2016.

But the Department of Homeland Security says Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has concluded the disruptions from the earthquake "have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial."

The U.S. created Temporary Protected Status in 1990 to provide a safe haven for countries affected by war and natural disasters.