Trump Administration Ends 17-Year Protections for Salvadorans Who Face Uncertain Future

Washington D.C. - Today, the Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced the Trump administration will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 200,000 individuals from El Salvador after 17 years. TPS provides an immigration status to individuals whose countries are experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, and extraordinary and temporary conditions. 

The administration’s decision to end TPS for El Salvador is the fourth termination of a TPS designation in the past four months, preceded by Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. 

The following is a quote from Royce Bernstein Murray, Policy Director of the American Immigration Council:

“Ending TPS for El Salvador is a tragic decision. It’s devastating for the 200,000 people who have lived and worked here legally for nearly 20 years, as well as their families, their employers, and their communities. Conditions in El Salvador continue to place people’s lives in grave danger.

“Who gains when we take away lawful status from hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have lived here, paid taxes, and registered with the government for nearly 20 years? TPS holders have provided their personal information, undergone background checks, and in 18 months will lose their ability to work lawfully and support their families. Since the administration won’t protect them, Congress must seize this moment to provide a legislative fix.”

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