DHS leaves protections in place for today but provides no clear path forward for more than 150,000 Salvadoran workers and the businesses that depend on them
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that it would not move to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador today while providing no timeline or decision on the program’s future, Rebecca Shi, CEO of American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement avoids the worst-case scenario of termination of protections for Salvadoran TPS holders, but it leaves more than 150,000 long term workers, families, and their employers in limbo. Just hours after the administration’s announcement, the lack of clear information has fueled fear, confusion, and misinformation in communities already unsure whether people can continue working and supporting their families tomorrow.
That uncertainty has real and immediate economic consequences. Salvadoran TPS holders have lived and worked legally in the U.S. for a quarter century, contributing billions to our economy and becoming essential employees and business owners. Employers need certainty about their workforce, and families deserve clear answers about their future.
As we wait for more details about what this decision means for Salvadoran TPS holders, employees and employers across the country are still left wondering how it will affect their workplaces, families, and livelihoods. The Administration must grant an official extension so Congress can step in and adopt permanent, bipartisan legislative solutions that give TPS holders and their employers the certainty a temporary, last-minute decision cannot provide. The administration must also address the crisis facing Haitian TPS holders, who already lost protections despite Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian and security crisis and are now being detained and deported. Congress ultimately has the power to end this cycle of uncertainty and give Salvadoran and Haitian families, workers and businesses the lasting clarity they need.”