US Congresswoman Suzie writes to Homeland Security urging Nepal to grant new TPS
âI respectfully urge the Department of Homeland Security to grant TPS to Nepal, so that eligible Nepali citizens currently in the U.S. are not forced to return home while their country is facing this disaster,â Suozzi wrote in the letter.
LOS ANGELES:-US Representative Thomas R. Suozzi has urged the US Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Nepal following the devastating floods and landslides in the country.
Suozzi, representing New York, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on September 10 making this request. His appeal has generated additional congressional pressure regarding the demand for a new TPSâa cause being championed for the Nepali-American community by New York-based immigration attorney Keshav Raj Sedai.
In the letter, Suji noted that the natural disaster in Nepal resulted in the deaths of more than 1,412 people and left over 5,600 missing, while causing severe damage to housing, essential services, and infrastructure.
Suji’s request comes just days after the Department of Homeland Security informed *Khasokhas* that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) previously granted to Nepal had expired on August 5, 2025, and that any future decision regarding TPS would be formally announced via the Federal Register.
The Department of Homeland Security has stated that any potential decision regarding the future of TPS will be announced through a notice published in the Federal Register at an appropriate time.
Earlier, on August 28, immigration attorney Keshav Raj Sedai had sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Mulin, requesting emergency immigration protection, work authorization, and travel facilitation for Nepali citizens in the United States following the floods in Nepal.
He had called for the announcement of a new TPS for Nepal or the expedited processing of work authorizations for eligible Nepali citizens residing in the U.S. Additionally, he had urged the Department of Homeland Security to implement at least a six-month temporary moratorium on enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against Nepali citizens legally present in the United States.
In the letter sent to Trump, Sedai wrote, âMany Nepali citizens currently residing legally in the U.S. under various visa statuses are facing a painful choice: whether to return home to care for displaced and grieving families, or to remain in the U.S. while their loved ones suffer.â
Senator Chuck Schumer’s office is also considering the request. According to another source, an individual involved in this effort has also contacted the office of Vice President-elect JD Vance. Neither office has publicly confirmed these discussions, and it is not immediately clear whether any action will be taken.
Suozzi stated that the collapse of a glacier on August 26 triggered flash floods and landslides across various districts of Nepal. He noted that four constituents from his district remain missing in Nepal and that their families are living in a state of “unbearable uncertainty.”
Citing the precedent of granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Nepal following the 2015 earthquake, Suozzi argued that the current disaster also meets the criteria for an extraordinary and temporary humanitarian situation.
âI respectfully urge the Department of Homeland Security to grant TPS to Nepal, so that eligible Nepali citizens currently in the U.S. are not forced to return home while their country is facing this disaster,â Suozzi wrote in the letter.
The Department of Homeland Security had decided last year to terminate TPS for Nepal. That decision was published in the Federal Register on June 6, 2025, and stipulated that TPS and related benefits would end on August 5, 2025.
However, on December 31, 2025, a federal judge in California issued an order in a lawsuit setting aside the decision to terminate TPS for Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
