MIAMI — About 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans already living in the United States can stay legally for another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday, just a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of hardline immigration policies.
The Biden administration has strongly supported Temporary Protected Status, which it has broadly expanded to cover about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under Trump, who attempted to sharply restrict its use during his first term as president. Federal regulations would allow extensions to be terminated early, although that has never been done before.
Homeland Security also extended TPS to more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese already living in the US.
For José Palma, a 48-year-old Salvadoran who has lived in the United States since 1998, the extension means that at least for now he can still work legally in Houston. He is the only person in his family with temporary status; his four children were born American citizens and his wife is a permanent resident. If TPS was not extended, he could be deported and separated from the rest of the family.
“It brings me peace of mind, a breath of fresh air,” Palma said. “It offers me stability.”
Palma, who works as an organizer in a day labor organization, sends about $400 a month to his 73-year-old mother, who is retired and has no income.
The TPS designation gives people legal authority to be in the country, but does not provide them with a long-term path to citizenship. They depend on the government to renew their status when it expires. Conservative critics have said that over time, renewal of protected status becomes automatic, regardless of what is happening in the person’s home country.
Friday’s announcement, which came as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro took office for a third six-year term in Caracas amid widespread international condemnation, is “based on the grave humanitarian emergency that the country continues to face due to to the political and economic crises under the Maduro regime. ”the department said.
Homeland Security cited “environmental conditions in El Salvador that prevent people from returning,” specifically heavy rains and storms over the past two years.
Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil conflict, granting people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months at a time.
About 1 million immigrants from 17 countries are protected by TPS, including people from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon. Venezuelans are one of the largest beneficiaries and its extension extends from April 2025 to October 2, 2026.
Salvadorans won TPS in 2001 after earthquakes hit the Central American country. TPS for Salvadorans would expire in March and was extended until September 9, 2026.
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, suggested they would reduce the use of TPS and policies that grant temporary status while pursuing mass deportations. During his first administration, Trump ended TPS for El Salvador, but it was delayed in court.
In recent months, advocates have increased pressure on the Biden administration to request extensions of TPS for those who already have it and to protect people from other countries such as Guatemala and Ecuador.
“This extension is just a small victory,” said Felipe Arnoldo Díaz, an activist with the National TPS Alliance. “Our biggest concern is that after El Salvador, there are countries whose TPS expires soon and are being left out” such as Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras.
Víctor Macedo, a 40-year-old Venezuelan, arrived in the United States in 2021 after receiving death threats in his country for being a political opposition activist. He couldn’t believe the news about the extension, since his TPS was set to expire in April.
“It is a very big relief. I was scared,” said Macedo, who works remodeling homes in Davie, Florida. “TPS helps me have legal status, work and be able to drive.”
