The Department of Homeland Security extended by 18 months the Temporary Protected Status for nationals of El Salvador, Ukraine, Sudan, and Venezuela, allowing the program’s beneficiaries to start re-registering for the 18-month period, the agency announced Friday.
The moves could complicate the incoming Trump administration’s plans to scrap long-term immigrant protections, the Hill reported.
Under TPS, nationals of designated countries are allowed to live and work in the United States, according to the Hill. TPS has been criticized by groups looking to curb immigration because many designations are extended for decades, the Hill said.
DHS justified the extension for Ukrainian nationals citing "conditions resulting from the expansion of the Russian military invasion into Ukraine, the largest conventional military action in Europe since World War II."
In announcing the extension for Salvadorans, the agency noted the impact of storms in 2023 and 2024 and earthquakes in 2001. Salvadorans were first granted TPS status in 1990, when the program was enacted into law, due to a civil war.
The extension of the TPS program for Venezuelan nationals is “due to extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent eligible Venezuelan nationals from safely returning” to their country,” the department said, citing the “severe humanitarian emergency” Venezuela currently faces, the Miami Herald reported.
The agency pointed to "continued political instability that has triggered human rights abuses" as a reason for extending Sudan's status,
Beneficiaries of TPS are authorized to work in the United States. The National Immigration Forum said there are about 860,000 foreign nationals protected by TPS, including about 180,000 Salvadorans.
The Biden administration expanded TPS, granting it to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan and Haitian nationals, the Hill said. During President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, the Department of Homeland Security allowed TPS designations to expire.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.