President-elect Donald Trump has been abundantly clear about his intent to crack down on loosely enforced immigration laws and to swiftly deport migrants who do not have legal status to reside in the U.S.

In a move that seems specifically designed to thwart Trump's plans, the Biden administration just preemptively extended the "Temporary Protected Status" of nearly 1 million migrants who'd otherwise be eligible for deportation, the New York Post reported.

This is just the latest in a series of assorted last-minute administrative and executive actions by outgoing President Joe Biden that are unquestionably intended to delay or obstruct the implementation of various aspects of Trump's policy agenda.

Nearly 1 million migrants receive status extensions

President Biden's Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday that migrants from four specific countries who've been residing in the U.S. since a particular date last year, whether legally or illegally, would see their "Temporary Protected Status" extended by approximately 18 months until a certain date in 2026.

That includes eligible migrants from Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan, and El Salvador, who will not only be protected from deportation but will also receive "Employment Authorization Documents," or work permits, for the duration of their protected status.

According to the Post, the TPS extensions will apply to around 937,600 eligible foreign nationals, including about 103,000 Ukrainians, 600,000 Venezuelans, 1,900 Sudanese, and 232,000 Salvadorans.

Reasons cited for TPS extensions

President Biden's DHS issued a separate press release announcing the TPS extension for migrants from each of the four nations and provided a generalized reason for why those thousands of migrants should be protected from deportation and be authorized to legally reside and work in the U.S.

For Ukraine, it was the Russian military invasion that resulted in "high numbers of civilian casualties and reports of war crimes and crimes against humanity" as well as a "humanitarian crisis" caused by "damage to civilian infrastructure that has left many without electricity or access to medical services."

The reason given for Venezuela was the "severe humanitarian emergency" and "political and economic crises under the inhumane Maduro regime" that resulted in "high levels of crime and violence, impacting access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel."

In Sudan, the cited problem was "continued political instability" and violent roving militias who've committed "human rights abuses" against innocent and fleeing civilians, while in El Salvador, it was poor "environmental conditions" that include "significant storms and heavy rainfall" over the past two years along with continued lack of basic infrastructure that was destroyed in a 2001 earthquake.

Each of the announcements included a standardized disclaimer that asserted that all migrants processed by DHS are subjected to "rigorous national security and public safety vetting," that those deemed a threat "may be detained, removed, or referred to other federal agencies for further investigation or prosecution," and that migrants are ineligible for TPS if they've been convicted of a felony or two misdemeanor crimes.

Trump team reacts

Given how this move by DHS runs counter to the incoming Trump administration's plans to crack down on immigration enforcement, Newsweek reported that Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, "President Trump will enlist every federal power and coordinate with state authorities to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families."

"The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, like deporting migrant criminals and restoring our economic greatness. He will deliver," she added.

In light of certain legal challenges the Trump administration will face in attempting to overturn this move and push forward with deportations, Mark Krikorian of the right-leaning Center for Immigration Studies looked on the bright side and said the TPS extensions were "A gift to the Trump admin, because these grants of 'Temporary' Protected Status were set to expire in March/April & the new USCIS folks wouldn't have had time to fully lawyer-up their cancellation. Both USCIS & the illegals will now have time to prepare."