What’s Next for Salvadoran TPS? More Than 200,000 Families Demand Clarity on Their Future

Nationwide — The National TPS Alliance today called on the Trump Administration to let about 200,000 Salvadorans know what is happening with their Temporary Protected Status.

TPS for El Salvador was set to expire on Sept. 9. But the date came and went with no announcement from the Department of Homeland Security on whether TPS had been canceled or renewed. A report in Politico says DHS was set to cancel TPS for El Salvador, as it has for more than a dozen other countries, but the White House suddenly and surprisingly “pumped the brakes” on that plan.

For now, DHS told Politico, “Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection.”

The following is a statement from José Palma, coordinator of the National TPS Alliance and a TPS holder from El Salvador: 

“Termination didn’t happen on Sept. 9, but no one is saying why or what comes next. That uncertainty is deeply distressing for TPS holders. TPS recipients are losing sleep over the consequences of this ongoing confusion. People are losing their jobs and their ability to drive in many states, and very soon, some could begin losing their homes. We remain in limbo, not knowing whether we will soon be forced to give up the lives we have built over the last 25 years in the United States. We deserve clarity about our protections, how long they will last, and what comes next.

“Ending TPS has been a disaster for hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants from Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries. The assault on TPS has put millions of people at risk and needlessly separated countless families who belong together here in the United States.

“We will not give up hope. We will not give up the struggle that we have led for decades for equal rights and permanent status for TPS families. We will keep fighting for the rights and humane treatment that people from all TPS countries deserve.”

###