Farmworker Justice Statement on Termination of TPS for El Salvador

Farmworker Justice Statement on Termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador

   Today, the Trump Administration announced termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, effective within 18 months (on September 9, 2019). Farmworker Justice strongly denounces this decision to expel nearly 200,000 Salvadorans from the communities where they live and work. The deportation of hundreds of thousands of members of the Salvadoran community will have devastating and long-lasting social and economic impacts. If the Administration does not reverse this heartless decision that contravenes our national interests, Congress should act.

   This decision is particularly troubling because it is part of a broader effort to undermine and eliminate existing legal pathways for immigrants in this country. It follows the recent termination of TPS designations for Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan, as well as increased uncertainty about the fate of Honduran TPS recipients. TPS recipients are hardworking individuals who are in the U.S. legally. They pay taxes, contribute to their communities and are subject to background checks every 18 months. They are also parents to nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children. For example, over 190,000 US-born children have at least one Salvadoran parent with TPS.

   The designation and extension of TPS for specific countries requires a careful assessment of country conditions, yet it is clear that the Administration’s recent decisions do not reflect the reality on the ground in these countries. The termination of TPS will only further destabilize these already fragile countries, as has been stated by diplomats and political leaders. Remittances make up more than 15% of the GDP of TPS-designated countries. As a result of the Administration’s recent decisions, hundreds of thousands of TPS recipients will lose their jobs, leading not just to billion dollar losses here in the U.S., but also to the destabilization of the economies of the TPS-designated countries. Ironically, this will likely also lead to increased illegal immigration into the U.S. from these countries.

   These facts show that the Administration’s decisions regarding TPS are not based on economic or national security considerations, but rather are driven by the Administration’s obsession with driving settled immigrants out of the country. Congress must act immediately to provide a permanent solution for Salvadorans and other TPS recipients.

Farmworker Justice Statement on Termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador

   Today, the Trump Administration announced termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, effective within 18 months (on September 9, 2019). Farmworker Justice strongly denounces this decision to expel nearly 200,000 Salvadorans from the communities where they live and work. The deportation of hundreds of thousands of members of the Salvadoran community will have devastating and long-lasting social and economic impacts. If the Administration does not reverse this heartless decision that contravenes our national interests, Congress should act.

   This decision is particularly troubling because it is part of a broader effort to undermine and eliminate existing legal pathways for immigrants in this country. It follows the recent termination of TPS designations for Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan, as well as increased uncertainty about the fate of Honduran TPS recipients. TPS recipients are hardworking individuals who are in the U.S. legally. They pay taxes, contribute to their communities and are subject to background checks every 18 months. They are also parents to nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children. For example, over 190,000 US-born children have at least one Salvadoran parent with TPS.

   The designation and extension of TPS for specific countries requires a careful assessment of country conditions, yet it is clear that the Administration’s recent decisions do not reflect the reality on the ground in these countries. The termination of TPS will only further destabilize these already fragile countries, as has been stated by diplomats and political leaders. Remittances make up more than 15% of the GDP of TPS-designated countries. As a result of the Administration’s recent decisions, hundreds of thousands of TPS recipients will lose their jobs, leading not just to billion dollar losses here in the U.S., but also to the destabilization of the economies of the TPS-designated countries. Ironically, this will likely also lead to increased illegal immigration into the U.S. from these countries.

   These facts show that the Administration’s decisions regarding TPS are not based on economic or national security considerations, but rather are driven by the Administration’s obsession with driving settled immigrants out of the country. Congress must act immediately to provide a permanent solution for Salvadorans and other TPS recipients.