The Biden administration has extended Temporary Protected Status for almost a million immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine.
The Biden administration on Friday prolonged temporary safeguards for almost 1 million immigrants residing in the United States originating from Venezuela, El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine.
The determination emerges in the days preceding the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to terminate "Temporary Protected Status" for immigrants from certain nations. Republicans have voiced disapproval of the program due to extensions that permit some immigrants who entered or remained in the country unlawfully to stay for decades.
In a succession of releases Friday, the Department of Homeland Security conveyed that the 18-month extension to TPS accessible to roughly 937,000 qualifying immigrants is justified based on unfavorable political, economic, or environmental circumstances in their countries of origin.
The extension for approximately 600,000 eligible Venezuelans is "based on the severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises."
The extension enables Venezuelan citizens who arrived in the U.S. by July 31, 2023, to re-register and maintain TPS through October 2026. It also extends their work authorization, contingent upon their continued adherence to the program's stipulations.
DHS indicated that adverse environmental conditions in El Salvador, the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine, and intense political instability in Sudan also warrant an extension of TPS for those residing in the U.S.
Approximately 232,000 Salvadoran citizens are eligible to re-register for TPS, according to DHS. There are almost 104,000 Ukrainian citizens eligible for the extension and 1,900 immigrants from Sudan who qualify to re-register for TPS.
The extended safeguards are not available to new applicants, but only to those already approved for TPS, DHS stated. The agency conveyed that applicants undergo "rigorous national security and public safety vetting" in order to qualify.
The incoming Trump administration could subsequently rescind this extension or cancel protections, but such an action would involve a mandated notification period, according to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, in remarks posted on X.
"Under the TPS statute, the DHS Secretary can terminate TPS for any nation, but must give at least 60 days notice first," Reichlin-Melnick said.
Following a controversy in Springfield, Ohio, concerning the number of Haitian migrants who had arrived, many covered by TPS, Trump stated to News Nation in October, "Absolutely I'd revoke it, and I'd bring them back to their country."
The Biden administration announced an 18-month extension for Haitians with TPS in June.