Us Government Extends Tps To 6 Countries
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 6 countries until January 4, 2021.
Immigrants from Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan and El Salvador will benefit from the extension of this program.
In the case of El Salvador, the extension was announced a few days before.
The president of the Central American country Nayib Bukele took advantage of the news to present it as an achievement of his administration.
“We are very happy to announce that today in Washington DC we signed an agreement that extends TPS for Salvadorans who are in the United States for one more year,” said the US ambassador to El Salvador, Ronald D. Johnson, in a video released by Bukele on his social networks.
However, the decision does not in any sense guarantee a permanent stay, rather it seeks to ensure that immigrants return to the country in an orderly manner and to offer additional time for the repatriation process.
“TPS is a legal mechanism to provide temporary status to some foreigners in need of humanitarian assistance. The Administration’s objective is to create an orderly and responsible process to repatriate Salvadorans and help them return to their homes, ”DHS said in a statement.
The acting director of the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Ken Cuccinelli, emphasized that it is not an extension of TPS, but rather the work permits of those who benefit from the protection.
The determination of the federal agency is consistent with legal processes related to claims filed for the annulment of TPS in the Court of the Northern District of California.
In October 2018, Federal Judge Edward Chen blocked President Trump’s suspension of TPS for El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.
Chen argued that the inactivation of the benefit would produce “irreparable harm” for immigrants and their families who had to leave the United States.
Later, in February 2019, new lawsuits were filed for the cancellation of TPS, which have gone through appeals processes.
The United States Government can designate a foreign country to Temporary Protected Status if it considers that there are risks that prevent citizens of the country from returning to their place of origin temporarily safely, whether due to ongoing armed conflicts, natural disasters or other situations.
