Honduras Immigration News

Honduras's migration authority reported that more than 30,000 Hondurans have been deported from the US, Mexico, and Guatemala through August 20, 2026, with officials warning that the termination of Temporary Protected Status for 55,000 Hondurans could trigger mass deportations and threaten the $10 billion in annual remittances the country receives.

Honduras's National Immigration Institute suspended passport services on August 20 for technical maintenance and platform updates, rescheduling affected appointments to Saturday in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba, with no extra fees.

Honduras's foreign minister said the end of Temporary Protected Status for over 55,000 Hondurans in the US does not mean all beneficiaries must return immediately, as individual cases will depend on family ties, residency length, and pending legal proceedings.

Child-welfare advocates warned that Honduras lacks the educational and social infrastructure to absorb children returning after the US cancels Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans, with 878 minors already deported in 2026 and thousands more at risk.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed on August 18 that all TPS terminations — including for Hondurans — are now in effect after months of court battles, warning holders who remain in the country without status that they will be deported.

Fifty Hondurans and 36 Mexicans arrived in Tegucigalpa aboard a US military aircraft from Fort Lauderdale, bringing the cumulative air-deportation count for Hondurans to 28,001, as officials warn the TPS cancellation could accelerate returns in coming months.

President Nasry Asfura requested that the United States evaluate each Honduran affected by the suspension of Temporary Protected Status on a case-by-case basis, noting that many have lived, worked, and built families in the US for decades since the program began after Hurricane Mitch 28 years ago.

Honduras ranked among Spain's top immigrant nationalities in the second quarter of 2026, with 7,600 Hondurans arriving and 2,700 departing during that period, according to Spain's Continuous Population Statistics.

José Eliezer Martínez, a Honduran with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and deferred action, was deported in April after authorities allegedly pressured him to accept removal despite his legal protections; he was ordered back to the U.S. on August 5 but remains in Border Patrol custody in Texas with his case unresolved.

The termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras leaves approximately 55,000 Hondurans in the United States without legal work authorization and exposed to deportation, according to former INM director Wilson Paz, who noted they had been contributing to both economies through taxes and remittances.

President Asfura attributed the US cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) affecting over 50,000 Hondurans to strained diplomatic relations between the previous Castro administration and the White House, saying that stance damaged the legal standing of Hondurans in the program for decades.

Honduras's Foreign Ministry published a practical guide for Hondurans affected by the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States, covering legal options, document preservation, work authorization alternatives, and warnings against immigration fraud.

A law exempting returned Honduran migrants from import duties on household goods, work tools, and vehicles is set to begin on August 28 after awaiting regulations.

Between 2022 and 2025, approximately 24,000 Chinese citizens entered Honduras without authorization, with the National Migration Institute unable to track how many remain in the country or continued northward; the surge followed Honduras's establishment of diplomatic relations with China in March 2023 and a 2023 migration amnesty.

A US immigration appeals ruling means Hondurans with TPS, DACA, or pending asylum who leave the US — even with an authorized travel permit — could face a three- to ten-year bar on re-entry if they accumulated over 180 days of unlawful presence, advocates warn.

Dulce Ponce, 17, died on August 8 from injuries sustained in a Louisiana car accident six days earlier, while her mother, Karina Oyuela, remains in ICE detention in Texas and has requested release or deportation to Honduras to attend her daughter's funeral.

Brayan Sánchez, a Honduran truck driver deported to the Central African Republic by the US in July along with four Cubans and an Ecuadorian, cannot legally return to the United States or Honduras; the Conadeh human-rights ombudsman is urging the government to issue him a passport and explore third-country resettlement options that guarantee safety and dignity.

Thirty-seven Mexican nationals, most with over a decade in the U.S., were deported by ICE and flown to San Pedro Sula instead of Mexico as part of the Trump administration's policy of routing deportees to third countries, forcing them to navigate additional migration procedures.

The US Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and 12 other nations has ended, warning beneficiaries to depart voluntarily or face deportation.

Brayan Sánchez, a Honduran deported by the United States to the Central African Republic, and a group of Cuban and Ecuadorian deportees are appealing to Florida lawmakers for help returning, while Sánchez's wife says the Honduran government has offered little support and calls their situation an abuse against immigrants.

Gerson Turcios, 23, who arrived in Rhinebeck, New York at 17 and built a life there, faces deportation after an old removal order surfaced following his arrest; neighbors, celebrities, and lawyers have launched a campaign to fund his legal defense and challenge the order in court.

Congress approved reforms to streamline repatriation by establishing a single coordinating office where Hondurans can handle customs, immigration, and vehicle-registration procedures in one process rather than visiting multiple agencies.

Authorities have lost track of 13 Chinese nationals who entered Honduras between 2022 and 2025, prompting concern over immigration oversight and the whereabouts of the migrants.

Mario Argenis Rodríguez Redondo, 36, was arrested by U.S. immigration agents on July 18 in Austin, Texas while holding his autistic daughter; he was transferred to San Antonio and faces deportation proceedings.

José Eliezer Martínez Andino, a 21-year-old Honduran with special immigrant juvenile status and work authorization, was returned to the United States by federal court order after being wrongfully deported in April, but remains in custody in Texas while authorities resolve his immigration case.

Tens of thousands of Honduran deportees face collection efforts after the US plans to hire a private contractor to locate and notify them of unpaid civil immigration fines — part of an estimated $423 million owed by roughly 66,387 people across Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala.

A Honduran man and five others from Cuba and Ecuador were deported without prior notice to the Central African Republic, and are now appealing to Florida lawmakers for help from Bangui, saying their rights were violated.

Erick Ruiz López, deported to Honduras after a routine traffic stop in Houston on June 17, is suing the Houston Police Department for allegedly detaining him unlawfully for over two hours past the traffic infraction, enabling his transfer to ICE.

Honduras has recorded 29,444 deportations through July 31, with about 27,000 from the United States, and migration lawyer Illich Cornejo warns the annual total could reach 40,000–50,000 due to tougher U.S. immigration policies.

The Honduran government presented a diplomatic and consular response plan to the U.S. termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran migrants, including negotiations with Washington and institutional support for citizens facing immigration changes.