On June 13, the U.S. government announced the extension of the temporary legal status of more than 300,000 immigrants, whose deportation protections and work permits were targeted by the Trump administration.
Under a 1990 law, Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, allows federal officials to grant deportation relief and work authorization to migrants fleeing war, environmental disaster and other unsafe conditions.
In a reversal of many Trump administration era actions, the Biden administration extended the TPS designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal through 2025.
Though the extensions offer an additional layer of protection, Judith Clerjeune says more can be done. Clerjeune is the campaigns and advocacy director at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition in Nashville.
“This is definitely a celebrated move; however, what we also know is that TPS is a temporary status, in that there are millions of other people around the country who currently do not have status,” Clerjeune said.
Clerjeune said lawmakers and advocacy groups like TIRRC have continued to push for longer extensions and updated eligibility requirements, but have yet to see monumental shifts in policy.
In not expanding the TPS protections for these countries, the Biden administration’s decision will prevent programs from opening up to newer applicants and therefore exclude more recent arrivals from eligibility entirely.
“We still need Congress to take action to pass permanent immigration relief for the millions of undocumented people who live in this country and have no access to a pathway to citizenship,” Clerjeune said. “The work is not done.”
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are an estimated 128,000 unauthorized immigrants in Tennessee — thousands of whom come from TPS countries, like Honduras and El Salvador.
Around 4,000 Tennesseans have TPS status, according to Clerjeune, who said a large portion of those individuals are from El Salvador.
“It hits home,” Clerjeune said. “But again, there are so many others who do not have access, so while we celebrate this move, we also continue to call on the Biden administration as well as Congress to take the necessary actions that are needed to move forward.”
Currently, 12 other countries also hold TPS designations. An announcement from the Biden administration has yet to be made on whether more TPS designations will be extended in the future.
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