The Biden administration has announced an extension of the temporary protected status given to immigrants from countries deemed unsafe for their return by the United States.
On Friday, the announcement focused on individuals from four particular countries: El Salvador, Sudan, Venezuela, and Ukraine.
The temporary protected status (TPS) designation has been extended for 18 months in each case, due to ongoing threats from war, humanitarian crises, and natural disasters.
However, the extension only applies to individuals who are already protected under the program. This falls short of the demands made by immigration advocates to expand eligibility.
The announcement, however, is expected to be interpreted as a final message to the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has made a commitment to toughen immigration policies once he assumes office on January 20th.
Around 1,900 individuals from Sudan, 103,700 from Ukraine, 232,000 from El Salvador, and 600,000 from Venezuela are eligible for the TPS extension.
Participants will need to re-register for the program in order to benefit from the 18-month extension.
Since his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump has consistently targeted the TPS program.
The Department of Homeland Security, under that administration, made an announcement to gradually eliminate the temporary protected status granted to immigrants from countries like El Salvador, Haiti, and Sudan.
In 2020, a federal court ultimately supported Trump’s authority to terminate the program, causing concerns that legally residing immigrants could potentially face expulsion.
In 2021, when Biden took over from Trump, he made a change in direction by expanding the group of individuals who qualify for temporary protected status. This included the inclusion of countries such as Venezuela and Afghanistan to the list.
Human rights groups praised the implementation of these changes, stating that the protections were crucially necessary.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged Biden to take stronger measures in safeguarding immigrants seeking refuge from human rights violations, conflicts, and other catastrophes.
Emi Maclean, a staff lawyer at the ACLU’s branch in Northern California, highlighted in a statement from 2022 that immigrants are not provided with much long-term security through short-term extensions to TPS.
“Maclean emphasized that TPS holders continue to lack permanent residency, as well as the civil rights and political equality that they rightfully deserve.”
The majority of individuals in this community have been residing in this country for many years.
Some critics have highlighted Biden’s actions in restricting various legal immigration avenues, such as the ability to seek asylum. Additionally, there are concerns that the Biden administration has not extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to other vulnerable groups, like Palestinians, which has raised allegations of a potential double standard.
Biden has chosen to maintain several tough immigration policies that were passed down to him by Trump. One such policy is the highly debated Title 42 measure, which permits the rapid expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border under the pretext of safeguarding public safety.
The measure faced various court challenges for being in violation of asylum law. Title 42 eventually expired when the emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic ended in May 2023.
Under President Biden, the Pew Research Center has estimated that approximately 1.2 million non-citizen immigrants, out of a total of 21.6 million residing in the United States, have become eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
During the 2024 presidential campaign, the topic of immigration sparked heated debate, as Trump put forth his proposal for “mass deportation” in the event of winning a second term.
In October, when questioned by News Nation about whether he would revoke TPS status for Haitian immigrants, Trump provided inaccurate information about the community in Springfield, Ohio. He had previously made false accusations about Haitians in that area, claiming that they were eating household pets.
According to News Nation, Trump emphasized the importance of removing certain individuals without causing harm to the nation. He firmly stated, “We cannot destroy our country.”
“It’s ineffective. It’s impossible. It’s not relevant to Haiti or anything else. It simply doesn’t work. The solution lies in repatriating the individuals and sending them back to their own country,” he emphasized. “In my view, it’s not lawful. It’s not lawful for anyone to engage in such actions.”
In the end, Trump emerged victorious in the 2024 race and he has made it clear that he intends to proceed with his stringent immigration policies within the initial 100 days of his presidency.
In its announcement on Friday, the Biden administration highlighted the urgent circumstances that have compelled the TPS extensions.
According to a statement from Homeland Security, sending back immigrants to Ukraine would put them at risk of experiencing the violence caused by Russia’s ongoing invasion. The invasion has resulted in a significant number of civilian casualties and reports of war crimes.
Natural disasters such as heavy storms and earthquakes have created hazardous living conditions in El Salvador. The government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela has been labeled as “inhumane,” and the political and economic crises under his leadership have made it unsafe for people to return.
Earlier this week, the US accused paramilitary forces in Sudan of pursuing a campaign of genocide.
According to Homeland Security, militias have been deliberately targeting civilians who are trying to escape conflict, resulting in the senseless murder of innocent people. Additionally, these militias have also been preventing the remaining civilians from accessing necessary supplies that could potentially save their lives.
“Sudanese nationals and habitual residents are currently unable to return safely due to these conditions.”
