January 8, 2018

Photo by Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño

The Trump administration has announced that almost 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants who have been allowed to live and work here legally under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) --  including those who were born in the United States. -- must leave the country by September 2019 or face deportation. Once again, the Trump administration is continuing to enforce anti-immigrant policies that will push out vulnerable, at-risk individuals who have already established a life in America and has already eliminated protections for individuals from Nicaragua, Haiti, and Sudan.

Trump’s policies reflect his hostility towards immigrants -- whether undocumented or legal -- and advocates for restrictionist immigration policies. He also makes it difficult for immigrants who are here legally to continue building a life here in America. By ending this humanitarian program, America will no longer be seen as a safe haven for those escaping conflict in their home countries. El Salvador has been conflicted with war and poverty for many years, and is not yet safe enough for Salvadoran TPS recipients to return home. Government officials claim that the criteria for TPS no longer exists, stating that El Salvador now has solid infrastructure.

Rather than continuing to rescind policies that protect immigrants, the United States should extend the program and enact legislation, such as a clean DREAM Act, which can ensure that 800,000 undocumented immigrants and millions of TPS recipients are protected under the law.