House Democrats are urging the Donald Trump administration to extend protections for Yemenis living in the United States set to expire early next year that could force thousands of exiles back to the war-torn country.

Approximately 1,200 Yemenis are living in the United States under temporary immigration status afforded to foreign nationals from 10 war-torn countries around the world, including Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The Trump administration has until early January to decide whether or not to extend the authorization. 

Democrats insist that extending the protection is vital to the safety of this group as the United States has sought to help broker a deal to end the five-year war, which has led thousands of Yemenis to seek the immigration protection in major American cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, San Francisco and Buffalo.

“Extending and re-designating [Temporary Protected Status] for Yemen is also clearly in the interest of America’s national security,” Rep. Debbie Dingell and 22 other House Democrats wrote in a Dec. 17 letter to acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “The sudden return of 1,200 Yemenis will not only further undermine the international humanitarian response in Yemen, but also undermine America’s standing amongst our allies while empowering antagonistic state and non-state actors in the region contrary to our longstanding security interests.”