The Biden administration has announced an extension of the temporary protected status granted to immigrants from countries deemed unsafe to return to by the United States.
This extension applies to individuals from El Salvador, Sudan, Venezuela, and Ukraine, with each receiving an 18-month extension of their “temporary protected status” (TPS) due to ongoing threats from war, humanitarian crises, and natural disasters.
However, the extension only applies to those already protected under the program and does not broaden eligibility as advocated for by immigration advocates.
Seen as a parting shot at the incoming Trump administration, the announcement affects around 1,900 Sudanese, 103,700 Ukrainians, 232,000 Salvadorans, and 600,000 Venezuelans who are eligible for the TPS extension, provided they re-register for the program to benefit from the 18-month extension.
Trump has targeted the TPS program since his first term, aiming to phase out protection for immigrants from countries like El Salvador, Haiti, and Sudan. Despite a federal court backing Trump’s authority to end the program, Biden, upon succeeding Trump, reversed course, expanding the TPS program to include countries like Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Human rights groups applauded these changes, although some, like the ACLU, urged Biden to do more to protect immigrants fleeing human rights abuses, war, and disasters. Concerns were also raised about Biden’s restrictions on other legal immigration pathways like asylum.
Despite these challenges, the Pew Research Center estimates that nearly 1.2 million non-citizen immigrants became eligible for TPS under Biden’s administration.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, immigration became a contentious topic, with Trump proposing mass deportation efforts if re-elected. Trump’s plans to crackdown on immigration have sparked controversy, particularly his remarks about Haitian immigrants and his intentions to implement stricter immigration policies in his first 100 days in office.
In Friday’s announcement, Biden’s administration emphasized the dire conditions in countries like Ukraine, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Sudan that warranted the TPS extensions due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, and political crises.
Homeland Security highlighted the risks of returning immigrants to these countries and the urgent need to provide protection to those facing perilous conditions.
