Hondurans Rally Against Trump For Ending Policy That Will Kick Them Out Of US

ECHO PARK  (CBSLA) --  Hondurans gathered in Echo Park Saturday to protest a Trump immigration policy that might see them kicked out of the United States.

Many of the protesters told CBS2's Greg Mills they were marching for the right to stay in a country that has been home for decades.

At issue is something called Temporary Protective Status (TPS.)

Hondurans were allowed to come to this country after their country suffered a devastating hurricane in 1998. (Hurricane Mitch killed 11,000 people, 7,000 in Honduras alone.)

President Trump argues that temporary means temporary and that this group has to go.

"We are going to let this administration know, Trump administration know, that we are not going anywhere," said Marta Connor.

She is among 90,000 Hondurans here under TPS.

They learned last month that President Trump is working at ending their protective status by January 2020 meaning they would have to leave the US.

Citizens from ten countries have come to the US under TPS because of deplorable and dangerous conditions in their homelands.

Connor defends the Honduran community from charges people are here and not fitting in.

"Don't say that we are worthless," she says "Not true They say we don't learn the language and we don't try to speak English. I speak English. Most of the TPS people are doing their best to improve their English and they are working-class people."

Connor didn't speak much English when she first moved here -- Hondurans largely speak Spanish. She told Mills she learned English by watching TV newscasts.