Story highlights New immigrants will not be able to apply for the protections

The move runs counter to other TPS protections being ended recently

Washington (CNN) The Trump administration extended protections for roughly 7,000 Syrian nationals in the US due to the ongoing civil war in the country, the agency announced Wednesday evening.

But Syrians who arrived in the US after August 2016 will not be eligible under the new policy.

The protections for Syria were first enacted in 2012 and shield recipients from deportation while authorizing them to work in the US. The roughly 7,000 Syrians covered under temporary protected status program will have their protections for another 18 months.

This will be the first time since the protections were created for Syria that the Department of Homeland Security will not also allow new immigrants to apply.

The decision by the Department of Homeland Security had been due Wednesday, which is 60 days before the current round of protections run out. The Associated Press was first to report the news.

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