The National TPS Alliance welcomed the federal court decision Tuesday, July 21, in Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, et. al. v. USCIS, et. al., temporarily blocking the Trump administration from stripping work authorization from thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine.
The ruling prevents the administration from enforcing a policy that would have caused thousands of TPS holders to lose their ability to work beginning July 22 while the court considers whether the policy is lawful.
“This decision provides much-needed relief for thousands of families who woke up today fearing they could lose their livelihoods overnight,” said José Palma, coordinator of the National TPS Alliance. “While we are grateful that the court stepped in to prevent immediate harm, this is only temporary relief. Families should not have to depend on emergency court orders to keep working and providing for their children.”
For more than 25 years, Salvadoran TPS holders have lived, worked, paid taxes, started businesses, purchased homes and raised families in the United States. They have followed every requirement of the program, repeatedly renewed their status and become an integral part of communities across the country.
Today’s decision does not extend TPS for El Salvador or resolve the uncertainty surrounding the program. El Salvador’s current TPS designation is set to expire on Sept. 9, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether it will extend or terminate protections for more than 170,000 Salvadoran TPS holders and the more than 150,000 U.S. citizen children who have a parent with Salvadoran TPS.
“The real deadline remains Sept. 9,” Palma continued. “Today’s ruling gives families some breathing room, but it does not answer the question that thousands of parents and children are asking: Will our family be able to stay together? After more than two decades of contributing to this country, families deserve certainty, not another chapter of uncertainty.”
The National TPS Alliance is urging DHS to extend TPS for El Salvador and calling on Congress to finally pass a permanent legislative solution for long-term TPS holders.
“TPS was never intended to become a lifetime cycle of temporary renewals,” Palma said. “After 25 years, Congress must finally provide permanent residency for families who have already proven they belong here. Keeping families together is not only the right thing to do, but it strengthens our communities, our workforce and our economy.”
The National TPS Alliance also encourages TPS holders to remain informed through trusted legal service providers and to avoid making decisions based on rumors or misinformation while the legal proceedings continue.