Temporary Protected Status recipients from the four countries will maintain protected status until January 2, 2020.
As President Donald Trump threatens protections for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has guaranteed these benefits for U.S. residents from Sudan, El Salvador, Haiti and Nicaragua.
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TPS recipients from the four countries will maintain protected status until January 2, 2020, according to an official notice published in the Federal Register Friday. TPS ensures protections for U.S. residents who come from countries recovering from natural or manmade disasters as well as provides temporary work visas and legal residency.
The status of recipients is more or less automatically renewed every 18 months, which has led to some TPS recipients residing in the United States for decades.
Program reforms by the Trump administration, aimed at scaling down TPS protections, have forced many beneficiaries to leave the country or apply for different immigration status.
Protections for the four countries will be maintained after a California judge sided with plaintiffs who claimed that the Trump administration's attempt to terminate TPS for these specific countries is politically motivated.
While the decision was made in October, the DHS only just filed the notice this week.
El Gobierno de #ElSalvador expresa su alegría ante la decisión de juez federal de Estados Unidos, Edward Chen, que frena la cancelación del Estatus de Protección Temporal #TPS @temasteleSUR pic.twitter.com/awtYEQUP2t
— Ernesto Avalos (@Ernesto_teleSUR) October 4, 2018
Immigration advocates have commended the decision, which covers about 240,000 TPS holders, but warned of the risks that still threaten the holders' livelihoods. TPS is yet to gain similar traction and support, in Congress, as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is also being repeatedly threatened by the Trump administration, has.
Jose Palma, a spokesman for the National TPS Alliance warns advocates to not become complacent or distracted from "the urgency and need for robust legislative reform that provides permanent solutions for all TPS holders."