The Trump administration’s decision this week to extend deportation protection and work permits for Sudanese and Ukrainian illegal immigrants in the United States went against the White House’s vow to end these types of programs. Political pressure and armed conflicts abroad created difficult circumstances for administration officials, leading them to continue the programs.

The continuation of temporary protected status for the two countries also costs federal immigration authorities the chance to arrest and deport more than 105,000 illegal immigrants who would have lost deportation protection had the program been canceled.