Issued November 07, 2017
WASHINGTON— Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 2,500 Nicaraguans who are now ordered to leave by January 5, 2019. Additionally, DHS unexpectedly announced that it would not terminate TPS for approximately 58,000 Hondurans. Instead, the Department failed to make a decision by the deadline, which results in an automatic 6-month extension until July 5th of next year. Like Hondurans, Nicaraguans with TPS have lived legally in the U.S. since at least 1999.
Service Employees International Union Executive Vice President Rocio Saenz, who represents thousands of TPS holders, expressed outrage at the decision:
“The SEIU condemns the decision to terminate TPS for about 2,500 Nicaraguans all of whom have been living and working legally in the U.S. for at least 18 years. They are parents, neighbors, and hard workers, and after such a long time it is wrong to expel them. The DHS decision to leave 57,000 Hondurans in limbo means pain and uncertainty for hardworking people that contribute so much to our economy."
“We call on Congress to immediately pass legislation that provides a permanent solution for current TPS recipients.
“In the short term, SEIU urges DHS to extend Haiti's TPS designation for the full 18 months before the Thanksgiving deadline, and also urges a full 18-month extension of TPS for Salvadorans.”
For more information and legal resources on TPS including other immigration options for TPS holders, visit iAmerica.org/TPS