Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Thursday extended temporary protected status (TPS) for Syrians in the U.S. an additional 18 months.

The protection for nearly 7,000 Syrians was set to expire on Sept. 30, meaning they would have had to leave the country or risk deportation.

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TPS is typically given to people fleeing from wars or natural disasters.

The extension will allow current beneficiaries to re-enroll in the program and receive work authorization until March 31, 2021.

But the Trump administration did not redesignate the program, which would have allowed Syrians not currently under the protection to apply.

The American Relief Coalition for Syria estimates that redesignation would have extended protections to 7,000 additional Syrians.

Syrians have been allowed to work and live legally in the U.S. since 2012 when officials determined that Bashar Assad had used military force to suppress protests.

The conflict in the Middle Eastern country continues, as the government, rebel forces and terrorist organizations fight.

ABC reported Wednesday that President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE was considering ending the program, setting off alarms for many human rights organizations.

His administration ordered the termination of TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras and Nepal, but those orders have been held up in court proceedings.