When José arrived in Bethesda from El Salvador in February 1999, he was a 17-year-old just beginning to find his footing in an unfamiliar country.
Jobs in kitchens, bars and construction shaped the first chapters of his new life.
“My family was very poor, so I didn’t have the opportunity to study. So I decided to look for a friend who would help me and come here to the United States in search of a better future,” said the man, who goes by the pseudonym José to protect his identity.
Over the years he got married, had five children, and was able to receive the benefits of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
However, he now says he is worried about the end of his immigration protection on Wednesday, Sept. 9—benefits he has relied on for 25 years.
“Now everything is collapsing for us, and I think we’ll be worse off than when I first came — because when I came, I didn’t have my children,” he said. “Can you imagine what will happen to my family? I’m their provider.”
The longest-running TPS in history
José is one of more than 170,000 Salvadorans protected under TPS in the United States, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
About 32,359 Salvadoran TPS holders live in the Washington metropolitan area, according to data from the National Immigration Forum. The report notes that the DMV has the largest population of Salvadorans with TPS in the country, followed by the Los Angeles and New York areas.
Immigration protection for Salvadorans was the first ever granted in U.S. history, in response to the civil war the country was facing in 1990, according to the congressional report.
When that designation expired in 1992, President George H. W. Bush granted Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for 12 months to the approximately 150,000 Salvadorans covered by that immigration protection. President Bill Clinton later extended that DED grant for another 18 months before allowing it to expire at the end of 1994.
The report notes that Salvadorans covered by these designations who had applied for asylum were able to adjust their status to lawful permanent resident.
After earthquakes struck El Salvador in January 2001, the Salvadoran government formally requested a TPS designation. In March of that year, Bush granted the benefit again.
Timeline of TPS for Salvadorans
Why is it causing uncertainty now?
Salvadorans with TPS, like José, have been on edge in recent weeks after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on its website on Aug. 12 that TPS for Salvadorans would expire on Sept. 9.
News4 contacted the White House to ask whether this benefit will be extended, but we have not received a response.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent us the following statement Tuesday night:
“An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection.”
Will TPS for Salvadorans be extended?
Section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act states that if the government does not make an announcement 60 days before the expiration date, the benefit is automatically extended.
For that reason, lawyer Cristina Paoli urged beneficiaries to watch closely for any announcements from the responsible government agencies.
“Usually it’s this automatic six-month extension, but as we’ve seen, nothing is very certain with this administration when it comes to immigration, and that’s why it’s very important to stay on top of the notices that USCIS or DHS will publish on the issue,” she explained during a YouTube Live with our sister station, Telemundo 44.
As for what would happen to Salvadorans if this immigration protection comes to an end, the lawyer insisted that each case must be evaluated individually.
“[If TPS for El Salvador expires] you end up in the same status position you were in before you had TPS, unless you have something pending right now. That means people who previously had a deportation order are no longer protected by TPS once it ends — if it does end,” she said.
Paoli recommended getting prepared and consulting an attorney about immigration options because every case is different.
“First, to understand what the options are, whether it benefits them to stay in the country or whether they’re in a better position to leave the country. I always recommend having a trusted person who can keep all their important information,” she said.
Roughly 170,000 people from El Salvador live in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. But that status is set to expire soon. News4’s Mauricio Casillas reports.
For José, his greatest concern is his family’s future if TPS for Salvadorans ends and he is deported. That’s why he has a request for President Donald Trump.
“I would mainly tell him to search his conscience […] He was also a child, and he should put himself in children’s vulnerable place. If he had been taken away from his parents when he was little, what would he have felt?” he asked.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
