Egypt Daily News – DHS also extended temporary protected status for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese who currently reside in the United States.
President Joe Biden anticipates the beginning of the Trump era by taking the decision to extend the residency of hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that about 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans currently residing in the United States can stay legally for another 18 months, more than a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of tough immigration policies.
The Biden administration has strongly supported Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which it has broadly expanded to include about 1 million people. But TPS faces an uncertain future under Trump, who has tried to dramatically limit its use during his first term as US president.
Federal regulations allow extensions to be terminated early, although this has not happened previously. DHS also extended Temporary Protected Status for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese already living in the United States.
For Jose Palma, a 48-year-old Salvadoran who has lived in the United States since 1998, the extension means that at least for now he can still work legally in Houston, Texas. He is the only person in his family who has temporary status; His four children are born American citizens and his wife is a permanent resident.
Therefore, if TPS is not extended, he may be deported and separated from the rest of the family. “It brings me peace of mind, peace of mind and a breath of fresh air,” Palma said. “It provides me with stability.” Palma, who works for a daily wage labor organization, sends about US$400 (€390) a month to his 73-year-old mother, who is retired and has no income.
Temporary protected status designation gives such people legal authority to remain in the country but does not provide them with a path to long-term citizenship. They depend on the government renewing their status when it expires.
Conservative critics have said that over time, renewal of protected status becomes automatic, regardless of what happens in a person’s country of origin.
Congress had created the Temporary Protection Program in 1990 to prevent deportation to countries experiencing natural disasters or civil war, and grants people permission to work in batches of up to 18 months at a time.
About one million migrants from 17 countries are protected under the temporary protection regime, including citizens of Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon.
Venezuelans are one of the largest beneficiaries of this protection and its extension runs from April 2025 to October 2026. Salvadorans obtained temporary protected status in 2001 after earthquakes rocked the Central American country. The temporary protection period for citizens of this country was scheduled to end in March and was extended until September next year.
Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have suggested they will scale back the use of TPS and policies granting temporary status as they pursue mass deportations.
