Termination of Salvadorian TPS Is Immoral

Press Release

Congresswoman Val Demings (D-Orlando) today responded to news that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 262,000 people from El Salvador is scheduled to end in 18 months. Many of these individuals fled their country following natural disasters and political violence.

Said Rep. Demings, "As a former social worker who worked with foster children, I believe that every child has the right to a safe, stable and joyful life. The administration's decision today will cause 200,000 children who are American citizens to either lose their parents or be forced out of the only home they have ever known.

"DHS refused to take into account the fact that El Salvador is riddled with violence. The administration wants to send families with American children to a country overrun with gang violence, including the MS-13 gang. It is deeply immoral to evict families from their lives and homes. These families have called America home for decades. They are part of our communities, our schools, our churches. Their children are citizens.

"Protecting America's TPS holders makes our communities and our country better. America's diversity makes us great. Our compassion and our empathy make us great. I'll keeping fighting to protect every American family."

Background

TPS recipients have been vetted by U.S. intelligence agencies. The program was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and initial TPS status for El Salvador was granted by President George W. Bush in 2001. Salvadorans with temporary status have nearly 200,000 children who are U.S. citizens.

Rep. Demings has previously sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security asking that TPS designation be protected for residents from El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, and Haiti. As a co-sponsor of the American Promise Act, she supports a pathway to citizenship for all those with Temporary Protected Status that have been in the U.S. for at least 5 years.

Source