Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced an 18-month extension for the Temporary Protected Status program for Syrians, which affects 7,000 people in the U.S.

“After carefully considering conditions on the ground, I have determined that it is necessary to extend the Temporary Protected Status designation for Syria,” Nielsen said in a statement Wednesday evening. “It is clear that the conditions upon which Syria’s designation was based continue to exist, therefore an extension is warranted under the statute. We will continue to determine each country’s TPS status on a country-by-country basis.”