The Biden administration announced the extension of deportation relief for approximately 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, and Sudan. This decision renews their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to remain in the United States with deportation protections and access to work permits for an additional 18 months. This move comes ahead of the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has previously sought to end most TPS protections during his first term.
TPS is a humanitarian program designed for individuals from countries facing extreme conditions such as natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary events. Under the Biden administration, the scope of this program has expanded significantly. Since taking office in 2021, President Biden has broadened TPS eligibility to include people from 17 nations, with over 1 million immigrants now covered. The largest group benefiting from the program are approximately 600,000 Venezuelans, who were granted TPS starting in 2021. The Biden administration cited Venezuela’s political and economic turmoil, including high levels of violence under President Nicolás Maduro, as a key reason for extending the relief.
While the extension provides critical protections for hundreds of thousands, some advocates and Democrats are pushing for even broader TPS eligibility. Todd Schulte, president of the advocacy group FWD.us, applauded the move but urged the Biden administration to extend TPS to more countries, such as Nicaragua. Schulte emphasized that TPS allows immigrants to continue contributing to their communities, supporting their families, and strengthening the U.S. economy.
However, the relief stops short of meeting the demands of immigration activists who are calling for broader reforms to protect more recently arrived immigrants. With Trump set to return to the White House, the future of TPS remains uncertain, with many fearing that the program could be at risk of termination under his administration. The renewed TPS status, however, provides a temporary reprieve for these vulnerable immigrant populations.
