By Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States will extend deportation relief and work permits for more than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday.

The move by President Joe Biden's administration maintains the status quo and stops short of a broader expansion of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program backed by Democrats and immigrant advocates.

Former President Donald Trump, a Republican seeking his party's nomination in 2024, sought to end TPS for the four countries and others during his tenure, but was rebuffed by U.S. courts. Biden's Democratic administration is rescinding Trump's earlier decisions as part of the process of extending the relief for immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal.

TPS allows people who cannot return to their home countries due to natural disasters, armed conflict or other extraordinary measures to remain in the United States and obtain work permits. While designations last six to 18 months, they can be extended by the U.S. homeland security secretary indefinitely.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the extensions would offer "continued safety and protection" to people from those countries already eligible for the program.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis)