McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The Biden administration on Friday announced it was extending Temporary Protected Status for asylum-seekers from Venezuela, Sudan, El Salvador and Ukraine.
The extensions are for 18 months for all four countries but start and end on different dates. TPS allows immigrants from those countries to remain in the United States if they meet qualifying conditions, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The extensions were granted just 10 days before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. He has promised mass deportations and detentions of asylum seekers who are in the United States.
El Salvador
The extension of TPS for those from El Salvador begins March 10 and runs through Sept. 9 and is because of “environmental conditions in El Salvador that prevent individuals from safely returning,” DHS said in a statement.
DHS says that environmental disasters have caused a “disruption of living conditions” in El Salvador and is also based on geological and weather events, including significant storms, rain and earthquakes that have affected the region in recent years.
The extension allows about 234,000 current beneficiaries from El Salvador who are already in the United States to re-register for TPS. Applicants must pass national security and public screenings. Those who pose a threat to the United States may be detained, removed or referred to other federal agencies for investigation, DHS says. Those with felony convictions or who have been convicted on two misdemeanors are not eligible to apply.
Venezuela
TPS is being extended to Venezuelans “due to extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent eligible Venezuelan nationals from safely returning,” DHS says.
Those who arrived in the United States on or before July 31 may maintain TPS and employment authorization once properly vetted, the agency says.
This will allow about 600,000 eligible current beneficiaries to retain TPS, DHS says.
DHS says TPS is warranted for Venezuelans because “severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the inhumane Maduro regime. These conditions have contributed to high levels of crime and violence, impacting access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel.”
TPS extensions run from April 3 through Oct. 2. Those who entered after July 31 or not through a lawful process or pathway are not eligible.
Work authorizations are automatically extended through April 2 to give Venezuelan nationals time to properly reapply for TPS, the agency says. The re-registration period ends Sept. 10.
Re-registration is limited to those who previously registered for and were granted TPS under either the 2021 or 2023 designations for Venezuela.
Ukraine
Over 103,000 Ukrainian nationals could re-apply for TPS under the extension, DHS says. Most have arrived because of the ongoing war with Russia.
They must have been continuously residing in the United States by Aug. 16, 2023 with or without lawful immigration status.
TPS is being extended because of “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Ukraine that prevent eligible Ukrainian nationals from safely returning,” DHS says. “Russia’s expanded military invasion has led to high numbers of civilian casualties and reports of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russian military forces and officials. This invasion has caused a humanitarian crisis, with significant numbers of individuals fleeing and damage to civilian infrastructure that has left many without electricity or access to medical services.”
Those who qualify, will be extended TPS through Oct. 19, 2026.
Sudan
Those from Sudan who also arrived in the United States prior to or on Aug. 16, 2023, will be eligible for 18 months of TPS.
“This extension is due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that continue to prevent individuals from safely returning,” DHS says. “TPS extension is warranted because of continued political instability that has triggered human rights abuses, including direct attacks on civilians. Militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies.”
The extension will allow about 1,900 Sudanese nationals who currently have TPS to reapply.
Work authorizations, also called Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) will automatically be extended for 12 months, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Those who are approved for renewal will have TPS extended through Oct. 19, 2026.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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