The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will allow thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal living in the United States on temporary status to renew their work permits for 18 months, reversing a Trump-era directive that sought to revoke the humanitarian protections.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his decision preserves protections for more than 330,000 people from the four countries, granting them permission to live and work in the United States into 2025.

The announcement came as a relief for immigrants in the United States under a federal designation called "temporary protected status." Others were disappointed that the protections remain limited to immigrants who arrived in the country years ago. They had hoped the Biden administration would issue a fresh designation to include more-recent arrivals.

"At least they're covering people who have been living and working here for decades," said Kerri Talbot, deputy director of the Immigration Hub, an advocacy organization.

Protected immigrants at risk of losing U.S. work permits

While the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that each group's protection will be extended for 18 months, they will expire on different dates in 2025 because their original designation dates vary.