TPS – Temporary Protected Status – covers about a million immigrants to the United States.
Now President Joe Biden has extended that protection by 18 months for 600,000Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans who are already living in the U.S.
And Homeland Security has extended TPS for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese who are already living in the U.S.
The TPS designation allows immigrants to be in the country legally, but does not provide a long-term path to citizenship.
Created in 1990 by Congress
Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations of people from countries suffering natural disasters or civil strife, giving them authorization to work up to 18 months at a time.
TPS was awarded to people from Venezuela due to political and economic crises in that country. People from El Salvador won TPS status after earthquakes rocked their country. During former President Donald Trump’s first term in office, he ended TPS for El Salvador, but his order was held up in court.
Other countries awarded extended TPS status include Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Lebanon. According to the Denver Post (Jan. 11, 2025), their status now runs until Oct. 2, 2026
