300,000 immigrants get extended stay by federal agency.
Department of Homeland Security Extends Temporary Legal Status for Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from several countries. This decision comes after the Trump administration ended the TPS designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. The latest decision by the Biden administration will allow TPS renewals for 239,000 Salvadorans, 76,000 Hondurans, 4,000 Nicaraguans, and 14,500 Nepalese who have been residing in the United States for years.
“Through the extension of Temporary Protected Status, we are able to offer continued safety and protection to current beneficiaries who are nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua who are already present in the United States and cannot return because of the impacts of environmental disasters,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “We will continue to offer support to them through this temporary form of humanitarian relief.”
What is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) allows people who can’t return to their home countries because of natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary measures to remain in the United States and obtain work permits. Designations typically last six to 18 months but can be renewed indefinitely. Some TPS designations have been in place for decades, but they don’t lead to permanent U.S. status.
Who is Eligible for TPS?
- Salvadorans who have resided in the United States since 2001
- Hondurans and Nicaraguans that have been in the United States since 1998
- Nepalese that have been in the country since 2015
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua living in the U.S. illegally won’t be covered by the TPS extension since they arrived after the cutoff dates.
Biden Administration’s Bid to Expand TPS
The Biden administration has added TPS-related designations to a total of 16 countries. In 2022, the White House added protections for individuals from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Liberia, and Ethiopia, for instance. Those recent mandates continue the Biden administration’s bid to expand TPS since taking office in early 2021, standing in contrast to the Trump administration’s moves to end the rule.
What’s Next?
The DHS will publish the explanation for procedures, timelines, and eligibility criteria in the Federal Register in the near future.
During his first day as president, Biden asked Congress to pass a measure that would allow TPS recipients to apply for green cards immediately to become lawful permanent residents. If those individuals meet certain standards, they could be granted U.S. citizenship.
But Trump’s DHS argued that a number of countries don’t fall under the TPS rule any longer.
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