DHS extends temporary protected status for 300,000 migrants

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended a temporary protected status by 18 months for migrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, the agency announced on Tuesday. 

Migrants who receive TPS status usually come from countries that have gone through extraordinary events, such as a natural disaster, an internal conflict, or other events that prevent them from returning safely, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

When granted TPS status, migrants are able to remain in the United States for a specific period, can obtain employment authorization, and are granted travel authorization. Migrants under TPS status, however, are not offered a pathway to citizenship. Migrants are expected to leave once the TPS status expires. 

The extension protects around 337,000 migrants from the four countries that are currently in the country from being deported and continuing to legally work. Around 239,000 of those migrants are Salvadorans who have lived in the U.S. since 2001, 76,000 Honduras and 4,000 Nicaraguans that have been in the country since 1998, and 14,500 Nepalese that have been in the U.S. since 2015. 

“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,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a statement announcing the measure.

“We will continue to offer support to them through this temporary form of humanitarian relief,” he added. 

The measure comes after the Trump administration ended the TPS designations for the four countries in May 2018, to be set into effect in January 2020. However, advocates filed a lawsuit on behalf of the TPS holders, stalling the termination of the program. In November of last year, the Biden administration extended the TSP status until June 30, 2024. 

The designation is extended until March 9, 2025, for residents of El Salvador, until July 2025 for Hondurans and Nicaraguans, and until June 24 for residents of Nepal.