The Future of Immigrants in the United States on Temporary Protected Status Relies on the November Election
Trump sparked outrage across the nation this year when he announced his intent to end the program offering temporary protected status to immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country. Earlier in September, to the dismay of many, a federal appeals court ruled that Trump’s administration acted within its authority and has the right to proceed with the change.
George H.W. Bush first signed the temporary protected status program into law in 1990. Since then, the Secretary of Homeland Security has been able to designate countries to the list for a variety of poor or dangerous conditions, such as civil wars, environmental disasters, and more, as well as remove countries when conditions were deemed to have improved. Once TPS beneficiaries are found eligible for protection, they are then not removable from the United States, are able to work in the country, and may travel freely. The program currently includes ten countries:
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
The Trump administration defended its decision by saying that the danger immigrants were fleeing from no longer existed in the home country, and that they no longer needed a safe haven. While home conditions may have improved, this decision grossly disregards the roots immigrants have planted and the lives and families these people have made for themselves here in the United States, all of which are now in jeopardy.
The cases’ plaintiffs could bring the case to be reconsidered by an 11-judge panel or the Supreme Court. If the outcomes fail to provide protection, the fate of these immigrants lies in the presidential election.
The U.S. presidential election, therefore, carries the weight of the future and wellbeing of even more groups on its shoulders. If Trump loses his reelection, Biden will have the chance to reinstate the temporary protected status and allow those 400,000 individuals to continue the life they’ve built for themselves in the United States. If not, immigrants will be removed from the country as soon as March 5, 2021, or November 2021 for those from El Salvador.
We urge all eligible U.S. citizens to vote in November to protect the future of immigrants and the country.
If you are concerned about your residency status, contact Sebastian Simon Law Group, PLLC: (713) 839-0639.
