Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a form of humanitarian protection Congress created in the Immigration Act of 1990. It lets the Secretary of Homeland Security allow people from designated countries to stay and work in the United States when conditions at home make return unsafe because of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. TPS does not create a direct path to permanent residency, but it does block deportation and allows work authorization while the designation remains in effect.