Biden administration extends temporary status for more than 200,000 from El Salvador for 18 months
MIAMI (AP) — More than 200,000 Salvadorans who have lived more than two decades in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Homeland Security Department said Friday in one of the Biden administration’s final acts on immigration policy.
The decision is the Biden administration’s latest in support of Temporary Protected Status, which he has sharply expanded to cover about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under Donald Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president.
Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strive, giving 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 and Lebanon. Salvadorans are one of the largest beneficiaries, having won TPS in 2001 after earthquakes rocked the Central American country.