Salvadorans on TPS Will Now Be Able to Stay in the US for Another Year

Salvadorans living in the US with temporary legal status will be able to remain in the country for another year, after the Trump administration signed agreements on Monday expanding cooperation between American immigration authorities and their counterparts in El Salvador.

About 265,000 Salvadorans in the US have Temporary Protected Status, which the US has historically offered to citizens of countries suffering from catastrophes such as natural disasters or armed conflict. Many of the Salvadorans with TPS status have lived in the US for more than a decade; the Bush administration first offered them protection in 2001 following a series of devastating earthquakes.

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TPS was previously set to expire for Salvadorans on January 2, 2020, but Monday’s agreements will push that date back. Salvadorans will now have valid work permits through January 2, 2021, even if the courts uphold Trump’s attempt to end the program. After the lawsuits over TPS conclude, the Salvadoran TPS recipients will have another year to go back to their home country.s

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan characterized the cooperation agreements as a step toward implementing another agreement between the US and El Salvador. That agreement would allow the Trump administration to send migrants seeking asylum or other protections in the US back to El Salvador. {snip}

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The Ninth Circuit could rule any day now in one of the cases over the Trump administration’s decision to end TPS. No matter the decision, it will likely set up a high-profile showdown over TPS at the Supreme Court. If the Trump administration prevails, it had previously agreed to establish a minimum 120-day wind-down period for El Salvador and the other countries.

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