In the run-up to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, President Joe Biden’s administration is taking steps to extend protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants whose temporary protected status is set to expire early into the Trump-led administration.

Citing U.S. officials and documents, The New York Times reported on Friday that this move signals an effort by the Biden administration to make it harder for Trump to execute his planned massive deportation efforts.

According to the Congressional Research Service, TPS is a programme that allows individuals from countries experiencing conflict or disasters to live and work in the U.S. Currently, it supports around one million immigrants from 17 nations.

During his first term in the White House, Mr Trump attempted to terminate TPS but was unsuccessful. His advisers have suggested that curtailing or eliminating the program remains a priority as part of his broader push to curb both legal and illegal immigration.

Since emerging as president-elect in November, Mr Trump has made several appointments to carry out his plans for massive deportation of illegal immigrants from the U.S.

In addition to appointing Tom Homan as his “border czar,” Mr Trump named two officials—Rodney S. Scott and Caleb Vitello—to spearhead his proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system, with a focus on large-scale deportations.

Mr Scott, a veteran border official who served as the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol during Trump’s first term, has been appointed to lead Customs and Border Protection. Mr Vitello, a longtime official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been named as the agency’s acting head.