MIAMI — Just a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office promising tough immigration policies, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that nearly 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 people already live in the United States. announced that Salvadorans can legally stay in the country for an additional 18 months.
The Biden administration has strongly supported temporary protected status, which he broadly expanded to about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under the Trump administration, which sought to significantly curtail its use during his first term as president. Federal rules allow the extension to end early, but they have never done so before.
The Department of Homeland Security also extended TPS for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese nationals already residing in the United States.
For Jose Palma, a 48-year-old Salvadoran who has lived in the United States since 1998, the extension means he can continue to work legally in Houston, at least for now. He is the only person in the family who has a temporary status. His four children were born American citizens, and his wife is a permanent resident. If TPS is not extended, he could be deported and separated from other members of his family.
“It brings me peace of mind and fresh air,” Palma said. “It gives me stability.”
Palma, who works as an organizer for a day labor organization, sends about $400 a month to her 73-year-old mother, who is retired and has no income.
Although the TPS designation gives people legal authority to remain in the country, it does not provide a long-term path to citizenship. They rely on the government to renew their qualifications when they expire. Conservative critics argue that over time, renewal of protected status becomes automatic, regardless of what is happening in a person’s home country.
Friday’s announcement, made as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn into his third six-year term in Caracas amid widespread international condemnation, said: “The political and economic crisis under Maduro’s “This is based on the serious humanitarian emergency that the country continues to face,” the ministry said.
The Department of Homeland Security cited “environmental conditions in El Salvador that preclude individuals’ return,” particularly heavy rains and storms over the past two years.
Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries struggling with natural disasters or civil war, allowing citizens to work for up to 18 months at a time.
Approximately 1 million migrants from 17 countries are protected by TPS, including people from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, and Lebanon. Venezuelans will be among the biggest beneficiaries, with the extension period starting from April 2025 to October 2, 2026.
A Salvadoran won the TPS in 2001 after an earthquake struck the Central American country. TPS for Salvadorans was scheduled to expire in March, but has been extended until September 9, 2026.
President Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have signaled they would scale back the use of TPS and temporary status policies as they move forward with mass deportations. President Trump ended El Salvador’s TPS during his first administration, but it was held up in court.
Advocates have increased pressure in recent months on the Biden administration to extend TPS to people already on it and protect people in other countries, including Guatemala and Ecuador.
“This extension is just a small victory,” said Felipe Arnoldo Díaz, an activist with the National TPS Alliance. “Our biggest concern is that after El Salvador, there are other countries that will soon be excluded from TPS, including Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras.”
Victor Macedo, a 40-year-old Venezuelan, came to the United States in 2021 after receiving death threats in his home country for being an opposition activist. His TPS was set to expire in April, so the news about the extension was hard to believe.
“It’s a huge relief. It was scary,” said Macedo, a home remodeler in Davie, Florida. “Thanks to TPS, I have legal status, can work, and can drive.”
