After more than two decades, temporary protected status (TPS) for Salvadorans was set to expire on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a move that would have left thousands of beneficiaries without immigration protection or authorization to work legally in the United States.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in an update late Wednesday night that, until the agency makes an official announcement, Salvadorans with TPS will keep their protection and work permits.
“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 including work authorization,” USCIS posted on its website.
According to immigration attorney Kelley Ortega, this could mean a six-month extension of the program.
“If by tomorrow morning at daybreak [Sept. 10] we don’t have any announcement from the government, this community will have that protection through March 9, 2027,” she said in an interview with our sister station, Telemundo 44.
Section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act states that if the government does not issue an official announcement about the future of the program 60 days before the expiration date, the benefit is automatically extended.
According to Ortega, the extension would be for another six months or until the U.S. government decides otherwise.
One question many Salvadoran TPS holders have is whether they will need to provide any documentation to their employers in the coming days.
“That’s the trickiest part, because there isn’t any document the government has published at this time giving them authority to work,” Ortega said.
“The statute — or carrying a copy of the law — can show that the law allows them to work, or that they’re supposed to be able to work, but the government has to update its internal systems to verify it. In Lebanon’s case, it took two days,” she added.
Finally, Ortega urged Salvadoran TPS holders not to wait for another deadline to look for alternatives.
“Time is flying, and these people need to look for alternatives to legalize their status, pursue permanent pathways or know their rights if they’re summoned to immigration court,” she said.
More than 170,000 Salvadorans are 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.
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.
